Destiny in Wonderland
by The Lady Destiny
Summary: Underland's about to fall to the red queen. They are forced to turn to the only Upperlandian they know, Aluna. Except Aluna is no longer the same little girl she'd been when she entered Underland. Now she's 26 and lonely. HatterOC. Mature because I'm insanely Paranoid!
1. Secrets

**As always I instruct my readers to read my mythology so they will understand some of the references. Thank you! And if you read my Destiny's Sparrow (Third in my Pirates of the Caribbean series) you might get some more pointers.**

**(Fading) Something that might also come up is in my Destiny's Sparrow!)**

"Momma, must I really go to this dance?" I asked quietly. We were going to the Ascot manor again for the thousandth time. I was sure that Mother just wanted to marry me off again. She'd been pushing as of lately.

You see my names Luna. Some people call me Lonny Luna. I completely agree with them. My father died a long time ago and I only have a few memories of him. The most memorial one was when he asked me if I knew why a raven was like a writing desk. It's stayed with me ever since he'd died three months later. He'd asked me after I'd asked him if I was going mad. (I couldn't help the Harry Potter reference!(Luna))

"_All the best people are, love." _He'd always said.

"Yes, Luna, dear. You know you must." Then she leaned forward, as if telling me a great secret or maybe a piece of juicy gossip. "I think the young Ascot man is preparing to ask you to marry him today." She said, like it was a good thing. I snorted and she gawked. "Luna! You are a lady, now act like one." She said and hit my thigh gently with her closed fan. I rolled my eyes and looked out the window of the carriage at the approaching manor.

It had been this way since I was little. I'd been the outcast, the crazy person. I didn't like talking formally and they saw that as a dark feature. I couldn't conform to their wishes even if I tried. I knew most things, whether I wanted to or not. I was even in stockings, which were very uncomfortable to sit in. I wore a corset that the maids had tied so tight that I couldn't do anything in it if I wasn't careful, I'd faint.

Secretly though I dreamed of a world so wonderful that I didn't have to worry about what my mother wanted, and I could do what I wanted. It would be a wonderful world, where I could find someone as mad as me. It did feel so terrible to not be loved.

I smiled in my daze but almost didn't realize that my mother was still talking.

"-and should he ask you to dance, you will of course say yes. His mother said that he has a weak digestive track so you'll have to take care of that." She was saying. I rolled my eyes as the carriage came to a stop. I flicked my fan open and stepped out of the carriage, with the help of a page boy. I nodded at him in thanks, another no-no. We weren't to speak or show any sign of acknowledgement to people below our station. I thought this was complete rubbish of course. I walked softly along the pavement and waited delicately for my mother. She took my elbow and together we walked out to the back of the manor, where the party was set up to take place.

I was in a beautiful black dress with silk gloves. It made me look like I was in mourning and I suppose I was. I loved it whether it was for mourning or not though because I was also wearing a small little top hat tied to my loose hair. It was just my style, though I don't think it helped the rumors one bit. Anyways, It went against proper etiquette but I'd warned my mother that if I didn't get to wear it that I would tell Hamish Ascot to stuff it up his nose. She'd pitched a fit but agreed that I could wear it.

We were standing at the steps that led to the backyard, where the party was going on. But it was common curtsy to wait for the hosts to see us 'in'. So we waited, with my mother fluffing up my hair. She looked annoyed at the hat but I just smiled at her, serenely. I spotted my friend, Alice Kingleigh, waiting off to the left. I winked at her and she giggled. She was the only one to understand my want for something more.

"There you are, at last!" Lady Ascot came over, tutting at my hat for a moment, the same way my mother had. I smiled, innocently at her. She started pulling on my dress, so that my cleavage would show more. I huffed and, without thought, I pushed my boobs back into the corset. She spluttered but I ignored her and started walking to where Alice waited. I didn't care if it wasn't lady like, she shouldn't have pushed them up.

"Hello, Alice." I said and we giggled togther, before walking along, leaving the two women spluttering behind us.

"You do love to make a show." Alice whispered to me, behind her own fan. I flipped my own open and looked her up and down.

"You've called the kettle black, I'm afraid, Alice." I said and discreetly I pointed to her bosom. "It seems as you have forgotten you're under garments…again." We glanced at each other and laughed together again.

"Ah, you know as much as me that they were so constricting. Plus, it drives mother up the wall." She said and giggled again. We walked through the small group of socializing people until we found us a small petite table. Together we sat and brought the chairs closer so as to continue to talk to one another.

"Well, I suppose with your mischievous father's help, you've droven the poor women off her rocker." I told her, while glancing around the gathering of people. Mother and Lady Ascot I could see were raging together, probably about me. But to me everyone seemed to blend together.

"Of course, my father has always supported me in my…un-lady like ways." Alice said, trying to phrase it delicately. I snorted and it sent us into a fit of decidedly un-lady like laughter. We got glares from all of the grouped people so it dulled the laughter immensely.

"Oh, Alice, I am so tired of watching people fade by me in such dull colors." I told her and she rolled her eyes as I started off on another rant, even though I knew she agreed with me. "They just seem to wear colors so as not to be noticed. It's so boring. I'd love to wear a bright green one day, and even match it with bright purple. That would just drive them around the bloody bin." I grinned when Alice bent over laughing at my swearing usage.

Suddenly, though, my amusement was interrupted when the sun was blocked from me. I turned to the shadow and almost swore more when I realized Hamish Ascot was standing in front of me, instead I settled for a deep sigh and politely smiled at him.

"Lady Destiny, I would find it very pleasurable if you would accompany me on the dance floor." He stated, like he wouldn't actually find it very pleasurable. Not that I wanted him to. I sucked it up though when I caught a glimpse of my wildly gesturing mother as she waved me to him. I placed my hand in his outstretched one and bid a dew (Sp?) to Alice. She grinned at me and when Hamish turned to escort me to the dance floor I made an obscene gesture behind his back at Alice. She gasped and giggled but I was hauled onto the dance floor to dance one of the most boring dances in the world.

It was so boring that my gaze swept upwards to the sky. I watched as the birds flew over head. As I began to day-dream I wondered why I'd decided to come to this realm in the first place. It was terribly boring here, what with all of the people acting the same. The only excitement I got now days was reading about the crimes that were solved by detectives….I wonder if the Sherlock Holmes in the papers had ever wondered what it was like to fly. I turned to my partner and asked him.

"Hamish, have you ever wondered what it was like to fly?" I asked him. The moment it came out of my mouth I knew he'd say no. It just wasn't in the man to think of something so imaginative.

"I don't waste my time thinking about impossible things." He spoke stiffly, as he was trying to concentrate on the dance, something that came natural to me. I used to love to dance, but that was when father danced with me. He'd try to do the most ridiculous moves and have me imitate him. I love it.

"My father says…um…used to say that believing in the impossible is the only way to make it possible." I supplied for him tripping over my words. Hamish's haughty expression didn't change.

"Did he?" He said in the bored tone of all of the aristocrats.

"He used to believe in six impossible things before breakfast." I told him anyway. It was nice to get it all out. I did love father so. I sighed as Hamish drug me to the off of the dance floor and to the side.

"Luna, I need to speak with you in private. Meet me at dusk under the gazebo." He told me and looked me firmly in the eye. I rolled my eyes but nodded anyways. As he walked away I heard the feminine giggles of the Chattaway twins behind me. True enough when I turned they were there waiting with Alice.

"Luna!" One of the twins said, I believe it was Faith. "We have a secret to tell you." She giggled again and so did Alice though her laughter was much more mischievous.

"If you're telling me, then it's not much of a secret." I told them and lifted my brow when Fiona turned to Faith.

"Perhaps we shouldn't…" She said and her twin was quick to answer back.

"Of course we should."

"If we tell her, she won't be surprised." Alice threw in, no doubt wanting to irritate me.

"Tell me what?" I asked, frustrated about being talked about. The twins glanced at each other and giggled before turning to me.

"Will you be surprised?" They asked together. I rolled my eyes.

"Not if you tell me." I told them.

"Then we shouldn't." Fiona said and nodded as if it was final.

"But how you've brought it up, you have to." I said and glanced at the giggling Alice. She never was one to hold her laughter.

"No, we don't." Faith contested.

"I wonder," I whispered to them devilishly. "if your mother knows that you two swim naked in the Havershim's pond?" I asked and grinned when their eyes widened.

"You wouldn't." Faith accused. I grinned condescendingly and she deflated.

"Well, you didn't hear it from us…but Lady Ascot told Mrs. Fluckwall who told Whittlewood…" She started and her twin interrupted her.

"That's not how it went. Lady Ascot told Lady Whittlewood who then told Mrs. Fluckwall." She started.

"I'm going to find your mother!" I said, encouraging them along. I even turned away to go find their mother but they turned me back around.

"Luna, Hamish Ascot is going to ask for your hand." They said and squealed.


	2. Marriage

I groaned and Alice stared laughing at me. I rolled my eyes and walked off. Alice followed close behind, still giggling. Soon we were in the maze garden and alone.

"They'll have to be strangled. Now the surprise is ruined." She was still giggling to herself as we sat on a well placed bench. "And everyone went to so much effort to keep the secret." I glanced around as if they were here to see.

"Everyone knows?" I asked her, stunned.

"Of course. Your mother made this your engagement party." She sobered up and I put my head in my hands. She took pity on me and patted my back uncomfortably.

"Today?" I lifted my head from my hands and winced. "But how does he know I'l accept?" I asked and she shrugged.

"All I know is Hamish will ask you under the gazebo at dusk. When you say yes, musicians will play…" She started telling me.

"But I don't know if I want to marry him." I told her. I really didn't want to marry him but everyone else seems to think I needed to.

"I know but look around us." She said sadly. I didn't even turn.

"I wouldn't be marrying his house. I'd be marrying Hamish." Together we both shuttered at the mere thought.

"Well, do you have someone else in mind?" She asked me. She was obsessed with marriage as everyone else is. I was to; I've got to admit that was the best part of living here, finding someone who liked me for me. It was a hard task, let me tell you that much.

"Not at the moment." I said wincing.

"Well, you won't do better than a Lord. And you can't wait much longer." Alice started. Unlike me she had long since given up on finding someone who liked her for herself and was now trying to find a man that would settle for her. I think it was a mistake but you can't tell her that. "You're almost twenty-six now, barely of martial age! You're pretty face won't last forever. You don't want too end up like Aunt Imogene." She said and together we thought of her Aunt who was middle aged and still waiting on her knight in shining honor.

"Of course not…" I muttered. And Alice nodded.

"So you'll have to marry Hamish. You will be as happy as my sister is with Lowell, if you're lucky, and your life will be perfect." Alice said with stars in her eyes. I knew that marriage was the only thing she looked forward to now but there was something in her eyes…

"Alice do you like Hamish?" I asked her and she blushed scarlet. I grinned and was going to mock her for it but Lady Ascot appeared in front of me. I stood up and she caught my elbow so that she could entwine her arm with mine. I huffed a breath but she ignored it.

"Walk with me through the rose garden and we'll get to know one another." She said and practically drug me out of the maze and away to the rose garden. I muttered dark things under my breath but it was too late. I glanced back at Alice and she nodded at me encouragingly.

"You're such a lovely girl, Luna." She started saying airily. "You're certain to have gorgeous children. Do you know what I've always dreaded?" She asked me. I'd spaced out by now but urged her to continue talking.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Ugly grandchildren." She stated. I rolled my eyes. "But with you that isn't a possibility." She seemed to realize that I wasn't paying attention and so tried to grab my attention back. "Hamish tells me that you're quite imaginative."

"My father encouraged me to…" I started off but Lady Ascot suddenly interrupted me.

"Incompetence!" She said and grimaced. "The gardeners planted white roses when I specifically asked for red." She said roughly. I glanced at the beautiful white flowers.

"I rather enjoy the white roses." I tried to appease her.

"You couldn't possibly." She dismissed me. "They're too bland." She started off to go, I'm guessing, tell the gardeners off. I rolled my eyes and followed. It turned out she was just stepping on to a path and she urged me along.

"As lady of the household it often falls to me to make difficult decisions, eve to be ruthless." She ranted, I barely noticed until she asked me a question. "Do you think you could be ruthless if you had to be?"

"Oh no, I can't even stand to hit a gnat." I said and looked at the flowers. They were very beautiful but I've always loved cherry blossoms more. Not that we have them here but the pictures were always lovely.

"Now look what they've done!" Lady Ascot suddenly interrupted her own rant to yell. "They've left the topiary unclipped? The gardeners will all have to be let go." She said, as if she wasn't firing people. I rolled my eyes and they caught something white run past the shrubs. I blinked and looked again but there was nothing.

"Did you see that?" I asked Lady Ascot. I'd cut her off mid rant and she jumped and looked around.

"See what?" She asked.

"Something ran past; I think it was a white rabbit." I muttered still trying to see it in the rose bushes. I thought I caught a glimpse of a white rabbit. But it couldn't be because it was standing on two legs and even had a waist coat on!

"Yes, we're plagued with them." She said and started dragging me up the hill towards a gazebo that they owned. I realized then that she'd been sent to gather me for Hamish's proposal. "I set the dogs on them whenever I can." She continued.

"Shall we discuss dining? If my son eats the wrong things he is certain to get a blockage." She started telling me about his eating problem but it just made me bored with it. We stepped up the hill more and I heard a band of musicians warming up and I shuttered discreetly. I could see them in the shadows waiting for the right moment. I glanced at the sun and it was just above the hill, dusk. I hadn't thought it had been that long since we'd gotten here. "Luna, are you listening?" She asked.

"A blockage." I muttered, just to appease her but I was distracted again by another sighting of the white rabbit. It stood there on its hind legs with a blue waistcoat on and it held a little watch in its hand. He caught my eye and then darted behind a large tree as if telling me to follow him.

"There!" I said and turned to Lady Ascot. "Did you see it?" I asked her quickly.

"See what?" She asked again.

"The rabbit!" I said and made to go to the tree that the rabbit had jumped behind but Lady Ascot dragged me with her.

"And they've let the wisteria wilt as well!" Lady Ascot didn't see it obviously and I grimaced.

"Excuse me." I muttered and hurried off to the tree and I saw Lady Ascot humph and head towards the gazebo. I turned from her and headed off to the tree but then I got intercepted by Aunt Imogene.

"Alice? What's this I hear that you don't want to marry Hamish?" Imogene asked, in her dreamy voice. I sighed as I was delayed from the much more interesting topic.

"I didn't say that. I'm not certain…"

"Marry him, Luna." Imogene interjected. "If you don't, you'll lay awake at night in your cold, cold bed, growing older and older waiting for the perfect man who never comes." She said, giving me a vivid idea of what the next few years would be like without a husband. I looked, discreetly, into the bushes to see if the rabbit was hiding there but he must have left. I sighed and turned back to the puzzled Aunt Imogene behind me.

"What are you looking for?" She asked curiously.

"Can you keep a secret?" I asked her, and giggled when she solemnly answered me.

"To my grave."

"I saw a white rabbit run through here…" I confided. "wearing a waistcoat." I smiled when she did to.

"How very strange." She said. "What kind of waistcoat?"

"Brocade, I think." I thought about it a second but then brought myself back from the brink of madness. "What does it matter? It was a rabbit wearing a waistcoat!" I said, she may have been my favorite adult but she was loony if I ever saw it.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to go someplace else to look for your rabbit. I'm waiting here for my fiancé." She looked around and I did to. Who would she meet waiting out here? I turned back to her.

"You're engaged? I didn't know." I told her, just so I could. I mean the rabbit was probably gone now anyway.

"No one does. I've been secretly engaged for years." She said and flipped open her fan and used it.

"Who is he?" I asked, curious for once.

"A prince." She answered me.

"Where did you meet a prince?" I asked her incredulously. She ignore me though and continued to speak.

"Alas, he cannot marry me unless he renounces his throne." She told me. I became slightly worried for her. I don't really think that you should be having delusions like this… (A/N: Quick fact when I was younger I thought my mom was married to Garth Brooks. XD I was such a naive child.)

"Run along now. And marry Hamish, Luna. You don't want to end up a spinster like some of those poor women we know." She said. I stopped myself from telling her that she was a spinster and possibly crazy. I smiled as she walked away. Instead I walked curiously around the tree but instead of finding the rabbit I found Lowell kissing Margaret. I dived back from them and ran back, accidentally running up the hill and landing myself right into the scene of my worst nightmare.

Hamish quickly grabbed me so I couldn't run away from the inevitable. Why did they have to ruin a perfectly good adventure? He pulled me insistently towards the gazebo, and the crowd waiting around it. I caught a glimpse of a band waiting. Dear God they even have a painter here. They were all just so cocky that I would say yes, weren't they…You know I always did enjoy a good challenge.

Hamish pulled me into the center of the gazebo and I sighed as Hamish dropped to one knee.

"Aluna Cassandra Destiny…" Hamish started, using my full name and I flinch at it which made him falter in turn. Just then I caught a glimpse of a caterpillar on Hamish's shoulder…what a peculiar place to perch, and an even stranger color it reminded me of…

"_Stupid Girl.."_

I heard that faint voice from my memories- or dreams or strangely I think I may have heard it from the caterpillar. I however forced myself away from this recurring dream or memory or insane moment.

"Hamish…" I said and he looked annoyed for a moment.

"What is it?" He asked, impatient to get along with it.

"You have a caterpillar on your shoulder." I told him. Then he started swiping at it and I worried for the poor things safety.

"Don't hurt it! Hold still." I bent and careful held the caterpillar in my hands. I gently sat it down on the edge of the gazebo, where it could return to eat its grass or maybe turn into a beautiful butterfly. I walked back to my previous position, in front of the kneeling Hamish. He looked a little more irrational then he had when he was about to propose. I somewhat suspected that he didn't like bugs.

"Aluna Cassandra Destiny…" He started again. "Will you be my wife?" He asked and I could practically feel every one take a collective breath. I couldn't help myself but to let the tension rise. After all I'd known Hamish all of my life and had only felt affection for him when he'd given me a mud-pie when we were eight. Although I should really think about this, my future. What if I didn't find someone else who actually could bring me passion?

**Okay, okay I know it's not original really, and I've gotten a review that asked for more originality. When I get passed what I've already written there _might _be some more, it depends on what I want, and plus I'm lazy so might not happen. **

**I decided to go ahead and upload this now since I'm so happy that Hangover Part II is coming out!**

**I hope you guys get to enjoy the funny (and crude) humor that is Hangover…and get to stare at Bradley Cooper. Which I think all of us do.**


	3. I've dirted my fluffy white tail

In my moment of distress I caught a glimpse of the white rabbit again in all of his waistcoat splendor. Now though he was glaring at me and holding up his pocket watch and pointing at it. I didn't get it for a moment until he made a motion for me to follow him. But didn't he understand that I couldn't leave these people here waiting for my answer. I turned back to Hamish, and gave the answer that I wanted, not what anyone else wanted.

"I'm sorry, Hamish. I don't believe I will be." I told him. He seemed to go into shock. Instead of paying attention to him I glance back at the waiting rabbit before turning to the crowd of shocked people. "All of you should be ashamed coming here and assuming I would marry Hamish." I told them. "Now if you excuse me I've got other things to do then be harassed by you stuck up prisses." I told them. They gasped but I was already pulling up my dress so that I could run to where the white rabbit had disappeared again. I ran and ran through the trees, down a path, trying to follow the barely there rabbit. I don't know why I'd decided to follow the rabbit.

I didn't regret my decision to turn Hamish down, I didn't fancy him, and I surely didn't want to marry him. Finally I found the rabbit slowing down. Once again he dived just out of side around a tree. I gasped breaths as I slowed down as well, turning the tree just in time to see it dive down a rabbit hole. I paused to catch my breath before leaning over the rather large hole.

"Hello?" I called down the hole, feeling rather silly. I moved slightly, to get more of a grip but I held on to some loose ground and tumbled in. I screamed in surprise, as I just kept going. I'd thought I would just end up hitting my head but this was much weirder. I was spinning through a large hole, a large one indeed. As I fell, no longer capable of screaming from surprise, I saw multiple out of place objects. There were shoes, lights, books with whole bookcases. I grabbed onto a vine, trying to keep myself from falling only to loosen a piano from the wall. I felt a sense of déjà vu but I was to focused on what was passing me then what was all around me.

The piano fell in front of my face but then its keys moved and it stopped falling. I squealed loudly and then suddenly I bounced off of a bed and broke through the bottom of the hole. I groaned at the impact and sat up. I could see that I'd landed on dirty, dusty surface. I glanced around, and to my surprise and secret delight I saw a chandelier-that was actually hanging from the floor. I glanced up to see my hair falling from my head, and I realized, I'd landed on the roof!

Just when I realized this gravity set in and I fell to the floor. I groaned again but sat up in a hurry, hopeful that it wouldn't happen again I stood up. Looking around I could see a bunch of doors and it hit me. I had been here before, in my dream, memory thingy. If I was right, and this was my dream then…

I looked around and sure enough there was the same table there that had been. I looked around again, to try and find if the other factor was there. I couldn't find the small door from before…then I spotted the curtain.

"Oh dear, this means it wasn't a dream…" I muttered and pulled at my hair. I don't know if I liked the idea of that. If it was then I was going to have to go through a lot of trials. First, to get through this door…

I walked back to the table and sitting there was a key, and a bottle. I hesitated before picking up the bottle. I glanced around again when I heard someone speaking.

"You'd think she would remember all this from the first time." I heard somebody say. It sound feminine but when I looked around I couldn't find anyone.

"I think she does…" Another voice said again. I grabbed the key to myself. I paused for a moment as someone answered the speaker.

"Exactly," A male voice answered.

"I still think she's the wrong Aluna…" The female voice said. I was startled that they knew my name. I didn't recognize the voices but they obviously knew me. I hope no one was offended if I didn't recognize them.

"She's the right one. I'm certain of it." The first male voice spoke again.

I glanced back at the table and sitting there was a familiar bottle. I glanced at the door and tried to remember what I did last time.

"I think…" I muttered. I pushed the tiny key into my pocket, very well hidden in the folds of my dress. I picked up the bottle and stared at it…didn't I drink it last time I'd been here? I remembered that I did, but I'd been so little last time I'd been here that it was all rather vague. I turned the label towards me and on it was written 'Drink me.' I hesitated. What if I was wrong? I turned back to the bottle from where I'd glanced at the door.

"Well…I've been reckless before…" I muttered before sipping some of the drink. I nearly choked at the tasted and winced as I began shrinking. I was scared out of my wits because though I'd suspected I had hoped it was something different. I felt my beautiful dress falling away from me along with my hat and muttered crossly before trying to swim out of the dresses folds. On my way out, towards the table, I found the key laying there. It was so small that I could carry it with me under my arm. I did so happily. I finally made it out to realize I was stark naked and if I walked out of my dress, these people would see me naked. I turned back to the dress and laid the key down so I could find a loose piece of cloth.

I found it in my glove. I was happy that I hadn't shrunk to much and my glove fit me like a dress and with a little maneuvering I had it around me with a string keeping it up around my neck.

I made my way to where I left the key and picked the key up from the ground.

"Now, onwards." I muttered. I started off to the small door which was now my size. It took me a good long minute or two to get to the door but when I did I was actually excited. I was going on my adventure! I pulled the key up and with a little difficulty turned it. I heard the click of it unlocking and it opened mysteriously. I glanced back at the room to see that the rest of my dress had disappeared, and now I noticed that so had the hole where I'd burst through.

Then I stepped outside.

**I know it isn't much, but I put it up to tell you guys that I changed my mind. I will be keeping this up after all. I don't know why but I just can't bring myself to do it. I guess its because when I first posted a story I decided that I would always finish a story.**

**But since I have commitment issues, seriously, it's hard for me to bind myself to something. Even if it's something small like this, I can't do it.**


	4. Absolem will know my identity for sure

It was magical. I was assaulted with the most wonderful sights, all of it was a lush green and I'm sure that if I was more the right size it wouldn't have looked so big but I could tell this place was more then exotic enough to out shine the whole of Britain. I looked around at the flowers and they actually had faces, and some where talking to each other while some looked to be basking in the sun. I walked forward, down some stairs. I looked back to see the door closing and that it led not to a house or even a wall but to thin air. I smiled at the magic and took steps down the stairs, toward the wonderful sights ahead of me. I saw broken statues and some in perfect condition. I could see all kinds of marvelous things and I turned as I walked down a path so that I could look at all of them. My shotty memory hadn't done them justice.

I walked under a large gate and saw even more beautiful things surrounding me, but now there were more strange things joining them. I even had to step back so that a green spotted pig didn't run into me. I yelped and watched it go with a smile. I watched an actual dragon with fly wings fight a horse with fly wings. Then they zoomed past.

"Curiouser and Cruiouser…" I muttered in fascination.

I turned around so that I could watch them fight as I walked past and ended up doing a complete three sixty and when I finished my circle I had to stop. In front of me were two twins, a dormouse, a dodo bird, and the white rabbit. I stared at them in surprise.

"I told you she's the right Aluna." The white rabbit said nodding. I giggled and realized these were the people that had been watching me. The little dormouse that was wearing little clothes as well stepped forward.

"I'm still not convinced." She said. I felt a little offended. The white rabbit threw up his little paws; apparently he was offended as well.

"Well that's gratitude for you!" He said gesturing wildly in his frustration. "You cannot know how difficult it was to find her. Trailing one Aluna after the next for weeks on end…" He turned his head to speak directly to the dormouse.

"Not to mention almost being eaten by large drooling creatures waving meat cleavers at me. And you would not believe how uncivilized the animals are up there! They wander around entirely unclothed, growling and barking and yipping. And they do their," I giggled. "shukm in public. Can you imagine? I had to avert my eyes! I'm still very upset by the entire experience." He said.

I couldn't really comment because that was something I was used to seeing. I moved side to side for a moment in discomfort. They were acting as if I wasn't there.

"She doesn't look like herself…" A red flower said. I smiled at it anyways.

"Wow, you're beautiful." I said and it seemed to grow redder but I turned to the dormouse who didn't seem to like me very much.

"That's because she's the wrong Aluna!" The dormouse yelled.

"Tell me exactly, how many Aluna's do you know?" I asked her politely if not a bit sarcastic. She grew silent then and I smiled kindly. "I do quite remember a little bit, or at least to get through the door." I confessed. "I was only a child you see and I can't remember a lot from then." She seemed speechless, as if I wasn't supposed to answer her and instead I was supposed to have taken it. Then the twins started speaking and I automatically wanted to scream cute.

"If she was, she might be." One of them said and then the other spoke, to argue with the other.

"But if she were so, she would be." He said and did this kind of shrug thing that I believe meant that he wasn't interested. I found it amusing that they were arguing, though I couldn't understand what in the world they were talking about. I believe, if my hunch is right, that they are talking about if I was the right Aluna or not.

"But she isn't nohow." The other said. I giggled though the others looked frustrated, like this happened a lot.

"How can I be the wrong Aluna, when I've already said I remember being here before?" I asked them. They looked confused, as if my logic had thrown them off. I smiled though at there confused looks before asking something else. "If it's not too rude to ask, who are you?"

The one to my left spoke up pointing to himself and his twin accordingly. "Oh, I'm Tweedledum, he's Tweedledee." He said and the other one rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"Contrariwise, I'm Tweedledum, he's Tweedledee." He said. I smiled at them, soothingly and they smiled shyly back. Then the Dodo bird must have gotten fed up, though his feathers stayed in place he spoke through his large beck.

"We should consult Absolem." I stiffened at the name. I seemed to remember that name from somewhere. But where could I have heard it before? Maybe I heard it from the last time I was here? I guess that could be it…**Or you could know him to be the caterpillar you gave the scroll of Sky to hold. **

"Exactly, Absolem will know exactly who she is!" An old bitter looking flower said. I smiled anyways though it wasn't as beautiful as the one before it.

"I'll escort you." Tweedledum said and walked until he was standing beside me. I realized now that I was quite small compared to how I usually was and they towered over me quite a bit. Tweedledum grabbed my hand and began to lead me, a little to roughly to be a proper gentleman.

"Hey, it's not being your turn!" Tweedledee said. He ran up and grabbed my other hand and they both led me.

"Hey, leave off!" One said, as they began fighting over who got to escort me, and it made me squeal as they began to pull me this way and that.

"Let go!" Dum said to Dee.

"Are they always this way?" I asked, now seeing why they were all tired of them already.

**Hey. I know that I've been gone for a while. I really don't have an excuse. I guess…writers block? As you've known I've thought about shutting down this story so it's kind of lost its muse for me and will be slow going.**

**However I forced myself to sit down and write some more for you guys because people really seem interested in it.**

**I've also started on a Iron man one to. It's not the same as my old one, at all and I mean that. I'm not to sure about it because its different but I guess that's what I should be aiming for? I'm going to work on it anyways.**

**I've lost my muse for my Lord of the Rings one to but its just so close to being done with the first one. I refuse to completely quit it. That's why I didn't put it up at once, because I was afraid I'd lose my muse. Oh well.**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**Oh one last thing! Long time people, who want to read it for real or you just want to know who the actors or characters look like I've made a photobucket account for this. A link is on my profile now instead of a list of picture links you can just go there instead. Tell me what you think about them there!**


	5. Stupid Girl

"Family trait." The rabbit said with patience that I didn't possess. "You can both escort her." He told them. They gave in to this and I smiled as they now led me calmly. We didn't walk long, just far enough into the forest and I glanced around at as much as I could see, happy to be getting a tour, as the white rabbit was telling me about all the different things here, he even told me about the shrinking drink, and of a cake that reversed the side effects and instead made you grow. We were walking amongst giant, multi-colored, mushrooms when I spoke again.

"Who is this Absolem?" I asked curiously.

"He's wise. He's absolute." The white rabbit, who was hopping in front of us, told me. The twins had let go of my hands now as there large ones had not worked very well.

"He's Absolem." The twins said together, making me realize that Absolem sounded very similar to absolute.

"Of course, Destiny gave him that power…" I heard the dormouse say. Again I felt that cold rush of Destiny when I heard my name but it stayed under the surface. We dropped into silence for a few more moments before we came upon the end of the path where I could see strange smoke trails coming from. The doremouse ran a little ahead of us. We walked into the smoke and as we did it actually seemed to become clearer. In it I could see, as it cleared away more a large blue caterpillar on top of a mushroom and realized he was blowing the smoke with a hookah. He even had an hourglass around his eye. I smiled as I realized he'd been the one on Hamish's shoulder.

"Who are you?" Absolem said, wasting no time. I smiled as a knowing twinkle rested in his little insect eyes. I winked at him and knew that he knew to play along.

"Absolem?" I asked, confused. (A/N: **IMPORTANT INFORMATION! **Whenever she does something as Destiny it cuts off, like recedes into her subconscious and she forgets. That's what happened when she visited Underland, or Wonderland, the first time; it affected her memory but made her forget the wrong thing. SO to be simple whenever a Destiny moment comes up I'll put it in Bold.)

"You're not Absolem, I'm Absolem." He said. "The question is," He took a breath from the Hookah and then breathed it out when he spoke. "Who are you?"

I coughed a little before answering, "Aluna." I neglected telling them that people called me Luna now, figuring it wouldn't help my case.

"We shall see." He said. I blinked a couple of times.

"What do you mean by that? I ought to know who I am." I said, confused.

"Yes, you ought, and you somewhat do, stupid girl. But ought you to know the future." He said **and didn't put emphasis on it like I would have been incapable able to resist doing**. "Unroll the Oraculum." He ordered, while I was having a flashback to when I'd been younger, because I could no longer call it a dream with me here living it. I looked over to where he pointed to see a scroll waiting, and the dormouse was unrolling it. I followed the white rabbit as they both unrolled it, the dormouse being too small.

"The Oraculum, being a calendrical compendium of Underland." The white Rabbit told me. I took me a long moment to get through that, which gave them long enough to finish unrolling it to how far they wanted it open. I looked down at it. **I remembered the long days I'd spent drawing and writing and making names for these days, how long it took. **

"It's a calendar." I said.

"Compendium." Absolem corrected and we turned to him as he continued speaking. "It tells of each and everyday since the Beginning." He told me. **Though in my locked subconscious I knew, I'd made it that way for a reason. **I looked back down and the white rabbit spoke to me from beside me.

"Today is Griblig Day in the time of the Red Queen." He told me. As he told me I saw a picture of the exact thing we were doing now drawn onto the scroll in old ink. Was I really that fat in this dress glove?

"Show her the Frabjous Day." Absolem ordered them again.

"Mmm. Yeah, Frabjous being the day you slay the Jabberwocky." Tweedledee told me. I blinked at them in surprise. They wanted me to slay something from this fascinating world?

"Sorry? Slay a what?" I asked them, to be sure.

"Oh yeah, that being you there with the Vorpal sword." Tweedledum said pointing to a picture. I had my back in the picture but I had a sword raised high and a monstrous beast with wings was in front of me, apparently ready to be slain.

"No other swords can kill the Jabberwocky, nohow." Tweedledee threw in there for me to digest.

"If it ain't Vorpal, it ain't dead." Tweedledum added. I blinked again. I backed up again, terrified. I'd never held a sword in my life and that, that- Jabberwocky looked old, scary and like it would be able to kill me with no effort.

"Resolve this for us, Absolem. Is she the right Aluna?" The white rabbit asked, finally. I began backing up along the path. **The nerve of these people, or animals, to ask me to slay something for them when I'm not of my right mind…not that I ever really am.**

"…Of course." He said. And they all brightened but then he added on, while blowing smoke which began to hide him from us. "She could be…" He said and looked me in the eye. **You think I'll do this without a reason, Absolem. ** He faded into the smoke.

"Oh, dear." The white rabbit said. "That was vaguer then Absolem has ever been." The rabbit and the group turned to me. I winced and took another step back.

"I said so!" The twins said, starting another argument amongst them. I was walking backwards now in fear.

"He said she could be! I'm still not convinced!" The dormouse said again, determined to hate me for no reason.

"I was so certain of you." The rabbit said. "We have got to be optimistic; Absolem said she could be her."

"I'm sorry; I don't think I can slay a jabberwocky." I told them. They all looked shocked or confused but there was suddenly a great growl and out of a rock a creature burst through. I gasped as it bared its large pointed teeth at us.

"Bandersnatch!" Both of the twins yelled. It roared and at the same time red armored cards appeared. I turned and ran, the others following my example. I tripped over all of the previously beautiful foliage and tried to get away along with the group of animals. I heard some of them getting caught by the cards but I dared not to turn around, because the Bandersnatch was running right behind us. Soon everyone had been caught but me and I kept running. I was still running and the Bandersnatch had made so many false dives that it was actually falling behind when I was clothes lined by a purple and yellow poke-a-dotted mushroom. I groaned and scrambled up. I was too late though the Bandersnatch was upon me.

"Run you great lug!" I suddenly heard the dormouse shout just as the Bandersnatches claw hit me. I almost screamed but something told me to resist. So I shot back off this time the Bandersnatch, strangely didn't follow. Suddenly Tweedledee and Tweedledum were with me, running. Until we came upon a fork in the road and we had to decide between, Queast and Snud. Dee grabbed my hand or arm.

"This way, Queast to east!" He said.

"No, south to Snud." Dum interjected and pulled on my other arm. We heard a loud screech and they both dropped my arms. We all turned around and saw a large bird coming our way. I didn't get to see what it looked like because I dove down as it came at us. Then when it passed over us it snatched up the twins. I turned around to watch them go in shock. Everything had just happened so fast! I watched as they were carried upside down over scrawny leafless trees.


	6. The Tea Party

So without the twins I had to find my way on my own. I turned to the sign and then glanced around. Snud seemed to be where the twins were taken, but Queast seemed the easier route. I knew I wouldn't be able to catch up with the large bird but I decided to go into the forest and try anyways. (It doesn't show which way she actually goes so I'm just going to roll with it.) I walked and walked and walked until I became so tired and my feet ached. I stopped a few times at strange noises. I glanced down at my burning arm to see three red scratches from the Bandersnatch.

"It looks like you ran afoul of something with wicked claws." I abruptly heard. I swiveled around to see a beautiful cat with large green eyes and a wide smile. I didn't think cats could smile that wide.

"What a wonderful coat of fur." I complimented. I'd never seen a cat with neon blue strips on it. His grin widened impossibly but didn't comment. Though I could see the neon blue flashed brighter in pride.

"What did that to you?" He asked. He had a wonderful drawling voice and I smiled at it.

"The um…Bander or Banner…" I said. It had only been yelled out by the twins once and I couldn't possibly be able to tell him the name.

"The Bandersnatch?" He asked, politely. He seemed to leap from his little tree branch and then he was impossibly close, but it was just his head! My eyes widened and I stared at him. "Well, I'd better have a look." He told me. He glanced at it and then got extremely close.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, curious.

"It needs to be purified by someone with evaporating skills," He said and turned his head upside down and then back over. I stared, fascinated as the rest of his body appeared threw a smoke not to unlike his fur coats color. I'd love to do that. **Though I already can.** "Or it will fester and putrefy." He told me. I hesitated. I've always liked cats and something about this one told me to trust it.

"Alright," I gave him permission. He floated forward in the air and then stuck his tongue out and _licked _it. I scrunched up my face at the feel of a cat's rough tongue on the wound. He pulled back and saw my weird face.

"Sorry, Cat's tongue you know." I smiled at him before glancing down at the wound. I didn't see anything though because he'd bound it with a black ribbon to match my glove or dress now. "What do you call yourself?" He asked.

"Aluna," I told him.

"_The _Aluna?" He asked pulling back surprised and somewhat happy.

"There's been some debate about that but I do believe I am." I said, sighing at admitting it. But I'd already said it now and I wouldn't be able to take it back if I wanted to.

"I never got involved in politics." He said.

"What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?" I returned the favor; after all he was helpful and rather nice to talk to. He disappeared again and then he spoke from behind me.

"Most call me the Cheshire cat, or Chess but my full name is Chessur. You may call me anyone of them you like." He said flipping over again. I smiled at him.

"Then you may call me Luna. It's what I've went by since I turned fifteen." I told him. He smiled and rubbed his fur against my head in thanks. I giggled as it rubbed against my face.

"You'd best be on your way," He told me and I turned to where he'd stopped behind me.

"What way?" I asked. I didn't know I was supposed to be going any way. He looked back at me for a moment as if he was contemplating something before he turned around.

"I'll take you to the Hare and the Hatter, but that's the end of it." He said flipping over before disappearing for another moment. I looked around, curious as to where he was going to appear next. "Coming?" I heard from some place and I turned to see him standing on the ground along the path on top of a hill. I sighed but followed him.

We walked quite a while before we found what ever he was leading me to. There was a hill and when we walked over it, or I did, Chess floated, I saw an amazing sight. There was a bunch of tables full of both whole and broken cups saucers; there were even little cakes and other tea time necessities. Out to the side a little music was playing. On one side, a hare in a full suit was sleeping and on the other I saw the dormouse sleeping inside of a cup.

But on the end I saw a man sleeping, I couldn't quite see his face, with his arms tucked in and his hat down. He was wearing the weirdest and most interesting clothes. I could tell from where I was walking that he was wearing the tools of his trade all on his person and I smiled, though of the skin I could see it was pale white, and his clothes look as if they'd wilted, like a flower would.

As we approached, Chess cleared his throat from where he was being carried in my arms. Unlike you must think, I voluntarily carried him, his fur was so soft, and I did love cats. I looked around to see a house that looked remarkably like a small mill. I blinked because it looked as if no one had been inside it for so long that it had just crashed in on itself, though I could clearly see a light on in the second story.

When Chess cleared his throat the others began to awaken from their sleep. As they did the cup the dormouse was sleeping in almost tumbled over and the Hare's mouth gave a loud grunt noise. The hatter's, for he had to be one with such a fine hat, and other necessities of his traded on his person, face twitched and then his head lifted and I saw the most wonderful eyes I'd ever looked at. They were a wonderful green, and slightly larger than a regular humans. One of them was slightly looking off, not enough for anyone to notice, but then again I've always been obsessed with eyes.

I smiled tentatively as his eyes met mine. They were just so splendid and looked so passionate, as if when you looked into them they showed his emotions. It would be no surprise here in (What did the Rabbit call it?) Underland.

When he realized I was here his eyes widened and he sat forward, smiling, happily at me. I heard the Hare start stammering and Chess puffed away for however long he stayed gone this time. I smiled at his endearing little gape that he possessed in his teeth. His clothes had sprung to life with color and they looked wonderful. I smiled a little bit brighter at him. He stood up on his chair and then, to my not surprise (After all I think I've been here long enough to know these people are all mad here, plus Chess told me that everyone was.) he stood up on his chair. He began walking across the table, sending cups and cookie trays across the table. The dormouse exclaimed when he stepped a little too close for comfort.

The Hatter hopped off the end and lent down, reminding me that I was still terribly small, either that or he was rather tall. I continued to smile, as his face came closer, so that he could look me exactly in the face.

"It's you!" He said, ecstatic. I giggled and at the same time I seemed to recognize the voice from somewhere.

"_I'm the Mad Hatter, or that's what I'm called!" _

"Yes, Hatter." I said, taking a risk. It seems it was a good idea because he became even brighter. I smiled at him, glad that I made him even happier. He seemed like a wonderfully mad person, and he was rather handsome…

"No, it's not!" The in-denial Dormouse said. "McTwisp brought us the wrong Aluna, I'm sure of it!" She said firmly banging a little pin on the table like she would a sword. I glanced at her for a moment and she was putting the cup she'd slept in back into the saucer. I looked back at the Hatter though because he looked wonderful the blue and pink skin around his eyes only drew more attention to his bright green eyes, though it was rather weird. It looked kind of like his natural skin color to.

"It's the wrong Aluna!" The Hare shouted and pulled his ears down. I felt a little deflated that no one would believe that I remembered, except the mad hatter, who seemed to believe me.

"It's absolutely Luna!" He said to them, calling me by my nickname. He turned to me to speak now. "You're absolutely Aluna, I'd know you anywhere!" He turned back to them now. "I'd know him anywhere!" He said, comically. They all laughed and though I was a little hurt I giggled as well, knowing that he was either just mad or he was only joking. I was praying for the last one.

The Hatter grabbed my hand and pulled me with him, having to lift me every so often in his haste to get me to his chair. We walked over the tables, again having the dormouse have to dive out of the way from the Hatters enthusiastic walk.

"Well, as you can see, we are still having tea." The Mad Hatter told me as he dragged me with him. I winced as it pulled on my arm and he seemed to notice without, well, noticing and bent a little more so that my arm wouldn't be tugged. "And it was all because I was obliged to kill Time waiting for your return." He was speaking fast but I listened attentively. "You're terribly late you know." He was stacking things on a chair, because we'd arrived at the end. "Naughty." He said, and to my surprise it sounded slightly Scottish. I giggled at him.

"Well, anyway, Time became quite offended and stopped all together." He told me. Then I realized that he was saying that time was a person. Oh that would be interesting. **We already know that! "**Not a tick since!" He said then patted the chair with books stacked up on it. I followed his unspoken request and sat on the books, which made it high enough for me to sit down.

The Hare started giggling madly and then he stared at the broken cup in his hands. I giggled along with them. It was rather fun to actually get to sit down and talk with someone instead of running away from a Bandersnatch or being questioned about my identity.

"Time can be rather funny." I agreed, cheerful.

"Yes, yes, of course, but now your back, you see," He said and sat down himself. "And we need to get on to the Frabjous Day!" He looked out at the others and I did to. The dormouse held up her sword and together, the Hare and the mouse said, "Frabjous Day!" I really didn't want to slay anything but all of these people were counting on me to slay it. Why in the world do they though? Then I realized that Chess was sitting at the end of the tables with a cup of tea in his hand.

My attention was brought back to the Hatter when he lent towards me. His eyes were mischievous now. "I've been investigating things that start with the letter 'M'." He said mysteriously. Then he leant farther forward and asked me a question, the same one my father would ask me when I was scared of going mad after a dream.

"Do you have any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?" He whispered.

"Um…You asked about both?" I answered. His eyes widened, like I'd just answered a miracle question. I didn't know what I'd done. I already knew I was quite around the bin.

"Downal wyth Bluddy Behg Hid!" They all shouted at once. I was startled and so was the Hatter because he held a hand to his mouth, as if he didn't mean to do it. I smiled anyways, because this scene was all just a bunch of madness.

"What?" I asked, curious to what it meant. I think they were talking some different language though it sounded somewhat like English but not quite.

"Down with the Bloody big head." Chess said and I looked over to him. "Bloody big head being the Red Queen." He explained, being courteous to my lack of knowledge pertaining to Underland.

"Come, come! We simply must commence with the slaying and such!" The Hatter announced, just randomly excited. I hope he was excited because I was here. He seems wonderful. "Therefore," I noticed he does quite a few gestures when he talks. "It is high time to forgive and forget or forget and forgive, whichever comes first!" he said. I noticed that the mouse bounced a sugar cube into the hare's cup. I giggled. "Or is in this case, most convenient." The hatter dug in his pocket for something and then pulled out a silver pocket watch. "I'm waiting." He stared at it.

I glanced at the Hare and he pulled out another pocket watch and held it up.

"Hey," He was chuckling, and so was the mouse. "I-It's tick-ticking…It's ticking again." He held it up to his face as well.

"All this talk of blood and slaying has put me off my tea." He said, playing with the cup that was half full still. It seemed to become darker down on my side of the table. When I looked back at the Hatter he seemed to become darker and darker. His clothes dulled into fiery colors, and his eyes turned a chilling yellow.

"Ah." He said, placing his pocket watch back in the pocket. "The entire world is falling to ruin and poor…Chessur's is off his tea." He said placing his hands on the table. I blinked and scooted back a little. And then, it seemed, Chess said something below the belt.

"What happened that day was not my fault." He said, fingering the cup of tea. The Hatter made a sound of taking in breath sharply. I looked back to him to see his eyes turn a blistering yellow and the skin around his eyes turned from pink and blue to a dark blue, emphasizing his anger. I've never liked yellow, nasty color…

"Oh, dear," The Hare said and started shaking. The Mad Hatter stood up from his chair and started over to Chess's side of the table.

"You ran out on them to save your own skin," His voice had turned Scottish and I blinked before taking it in. It was just such a wonderful, heat-inducing voice. I blushed scarlet but thankfully the attention was shifted else where. "you guddler's scuttish pilgar lickering shukm," He was insulting Chess who seemed to realize that what he'd said had gotten him into deep trouble and his eyes widened as the Hatter advanced. He tried to shrink back in his chair. "Juggling sluking urpal." Now the Hatter looked completely enraged. I could only imagine what had happened to him that he would get this angry.

"Bar lom muck egg brimini!" He started yelling at poor Chess and I couldn't stand to see him bringing down Chess, or to see him so angry.

"Hatter!" I shouted and he turned to me, almost completely back to normal.

"Thank you." He said, choked up by the emotion and his voice was strained. Even the Hare was shaking a little, though I am beginning to believe that it is normal.

"Meow." The Hare interjected into the conversation.

"I'm fine." The Hatter choked out again but with less difficultly, he was no longer speaking the wonderful Scottish accent.

"What's wrong with you, Tarrant?" Oh so that was the Hatter's name. He'd never told me, not that I'd known him for that long, **at least for this trip**. Tarrant straightened from where'd he been when he was yelling. His clothes had become cheerful again, though less so. "You used to be the life of the party." Chess was back to normal as well. Maybe the Hatter or Tarrant was always getting mad at Chess. Chess stirred his new cup of tea with a spoon and then picked it up. "You used to do the best Futterwacken in all of Witzend." Chess told him and the Hatter smiled ruefully.

"Futter what?" I asked, very confused.

"Futterwacken!" The March hare told me and he slammed his fists on the table in excitement.

"It's a dance." The dormouse explained, and she curtsied to show me. I smiled at her, happy if only for a moment she was nice. The March hare got up in his chair and did a little weird dance for explanation.

"On the Frabjous Day," The Hatter said, heading back to his chair now. "When the white queen once again wears the crown, _on _that day, I shall Futterwacken again…" He paused and stared into space for a moment. "_Vigorously." _(A/N: I swear that is my favorite line in the movie!)

We all laughed. I don't know why but I joined them in the laughter anyway. It was fun to laugh again. Ever since my father passed I'd not found anyone to laugh with. Then we heard a horse neigh from the way I came. The Hatter began fiddling, trying to find something in his pockets. I looked to the way I'd come but the mouse and the hare seemed nervous. "Oh, no!" The Hare said. Chess turned around to see what was going on as well.

"Uh-oh…" He faded again, showing the March Hare who'd dived behind him to hide. The hare exclaimed loudly and dove back to his chair as shadows in the fog began to show. The mouse gasped and I did as well. I don't know why but I'm sure those were the people who were after me before. "The Knave…" The mouse whispered and clutched her spoon to her. "Hide her!" The March Hare said and at the same time a bottle was shoved against my lips.

"Drink this quickly!" The Hatter whispered to me. I had no choice so I drunk it. As soon as he took the bottle away from me I began to shrink. The Hatter grabbed me up in his warm fingers and then shoved me into a kettle. I winced as I dropped to the bottom of it, thankfully it was empty. The Hatter dropped my dress, glove, in with me but I no longer had anything I could do with it because I was too small for even the glove. "Mind your head!" Tarrant warned before putting the lid on the kettle. I listened as well as I could to the conversation.

I heard a horse pulled to a stop and someone jump down from it. "Well, if it's not my favorite trio of Lunatics." I heard a male voice say. I already decided I didn't like him. He made the Hatter shove me into a kettle after forcing me to drink the shrinking drink.

"Would you like to join us?" The mouse asked, politely. Oh so it's only me, that she hates then. I wonder why. He snickered and then I heard the March Hare.

"You're all late for tea!" He yelled and I heard something smash and break on the ground. I heard everyone laugh and wished I could know what was going on exactly. I heard him coming closer to where the Hatter sat, with me in his lap.

"We're looking for the girl called, Aluna." He announced to the table.

"Oh, speaking of the queen!" The Hatter said, probably trying to distract him. "Here is a song we used to sing in her honor!" He started.

"Twinkle, Twinkle little bat," Everyone, not including the new man started singing with Tarrant. "How I wonder where you're at up a-" He was cut off. I heard a choking sound and I began to worry when the kettle also jolted.

"If you are hiding her, you'll lose your heads." The new guy warned/threatened.

"Already lost them." The Hatter said hoarsely. The dormouse and Hare started laughing at the Hatters joke. There was another lurch and then the Hatter was speaking again, not hoarse. "All together now!" He said.

"Up above the world you fly. Like a tea tray in the sky!" They all sang and I heard a rustling as something began bumping the table. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Twinkle, Twinkle…" They repeated, becoming more and more nervous. Suddenly the Hatter jolted again.

"Oh," He muttered. "Downal wyth Bluddy behg Hid!" He suddenly said to someone. I waited for a moment but then something howled and started running away.

"Would you like some cream?" The March Hare was asking someone. A dog barked and went running off.

"Follow the bloodhound." The male ordered. He looked back at them and must have seen something and he snorted. "You're all mad."

"Thanks very much." The March Hare answered and everyone at the table laughed heartily. I heard something break and then the horse neighing as they left. The Hatter picked up the kettle and it jostled me. I fell to where my clothes were to cushion the fall but then the lid was lifted. I tried to pull the cloth over me but he'd already seen. I saw his eyes darken for a moment and become a lovely black before he shut the lid.

"Oh, Pardon." He said. Then he opened the kettle again but this time he just took a piece of the cloth from the bundle. "One moment." He said and reclosed the lid back. I waited for only a few moments before he was slipping something into me. "Try this on for size!" I picked it up to see a wonderful black dress with little red ribbons wrapped and sewn into it. I put it on with little difficulty. I paused for a moment before tapping on the lid, to tell him that I was decent.

He opened the lid and picked me up then sat me down to stand on the table. His eyes were now green again. I smiled at him as he evaluated my dress. "Oh…I like it." He said and smiled a gape-mouthed smile. My smile widened making his widen. His eyes caught mine and I blushed as his eyes looked me over a little more then needed.

"It's a good thing the bloodhound is one of us." The dormouse interrupted the moment and for once I wanted to throttle her, but seeing as we are the same size, I don't think that would work very well, seeing as she has that pin and I have nothing. The Hatter did this thing with his hands at her and I thought it was kind of cute.

"What do they want with me?" I asked the Hatter. I wasn't told because the Hare interrupted us.

"Wait a minute; best take her to the white queen." He said then his eyes seemed to sharpen from their permanent gaze and he stared at his spoon. "Spoon." I looked back to the Hatter and he took off his hat, showing me more of his fiery orange hair. He sat his wonderfully made top hat down onto the table.

"What?" I asked when the Hatter stared at me for a long moment.

"I will bring you to the white queen, so she can help you, of course." The Hatter giggled and everyone at the table joined him. I hesitated, to think. This White Queen seemed to be the queen everyone liked, so she couldn't be too bad. Right?

"She'll help me?" I asked again, to be sure. The Hatter giggled and nodded his pale head again, his hair not moving a bit from its seemingly glued position. I wonder how that happened? Maybe he'd had the hat on so long that it just kind of stays like that…Who knows?

I gently stepped onto the tattered hat and hoped desperately that it didn't break from my weight. I walked unsteadily to the ribbon and grasped it as if my life depended on it, which I guess it sort of did, didn't it?

"Oh, I love traveling by hat!" I heard the dormouse exclaim.

"Mally!" The Hatter discouraged her. "Please, only Aluna. My hat can only stand so much, you know." He explained. She seemed to deflate, and pout. The Hatter giggled anyway. I clutched the ribbon tighter when he pulled his hat up and onto his head. I was wobbling around trying to stay on the hat. The Hatter started walking away and I waved at the hare, and the dormouse. I smiled when they waved back.


	7. AshesAshes we all fall down

I sat down cautiously, on the hat. The Hatter walked almost steadily, though I still felt like I was going to be tipped off the back of the hat. It was something new, riding on a hat. I couldn't see the hatter but I could hear him muttering something to himself every once in a while. I turned around to look at all of the strange things going by and smiled at the surrounding environment. It was much more beautiful then my world had been. It had random sparkles, where the sunlight passed through the thick canopy of leaves and branches above our heads, and hit little drops of water hanging on to the fauna of Wonderland.

I stared at every new thing that went by, even the orange mushroom, which looked strangely like the one that had clothes lined me when I was running from the Bandersnatch. Which reminds me…I really should check on the wound that Chessur 'cleansed' with his tongue. However, to achieve this I had to pull down the piece of cloth. For this to happen I'd have to untie it, using the hand that was currently keeping me steady, and on the hat. I pouted and after little thought, resolved to check it before, or after, I met the White Queen. After all, it wasn't hurting much anymore.

"I'm contemplating letters that start with the letter J." The Hatter finally said. I blinked and instinctually looked around for the speaker, almost forgetting that I was sitting on him. "Do you know any?" He asked me. At least I hope it's me. I know from experience that sometimes one asks a question out loud, only to hear themselves speak.

"Japan? Jazz? Jealous?" I offered, my voice sounding kind of quiet. If he was talking to himself then I didn't want him to jerk, or any real movement at all, because then I'd have to worry about if I'd live if I fell from this height. The Hatter almost nodded, I know because I had to clutch at the hat. He giggled, in apology I suppose, and stopped just before I started to slip.

"Those are splendid words. I've thought of Jaw, Jesting, Jailbait, Jelly and jam." He told me. I nodded, not getting it. But hey if you can't beat them, then you should join them. Maybe it was a game to get us talking? Who knew?

"How about for the letter A? Have you thought about any for that letter?" I asked him. I couldn't see his reaction but he seemed to stutter in his steps for a moment. I was glad that his misstep did not jostle me too badly. He giggled again, something he seemed to do frequently, and clapped.

"Oh swell!" He called out, rather loudly. I heard a few frightened critters leap away from the trail. I wonder, if animals acted like humans here, then who were the animals? "I've thought of Assoil, Assign, Astray, and Arouse-" He stuttered to a stop and it took me a moment to see what had stopped him. Arouse. I burst into giggles. He'd said arouse and assumed that it would offend me…If only men knew what 'proper' ladies talked about when they weren't looking. I knew that Alice and I weren't exactly a proper lady but even we talked about…those things to each other.

"I've thought of Ash, arms, armor, aurally, and Attire. Are they good words?" I asked him, to get his mind off of where ever it had gone. It's amazing where minds can go, like mine has recently been to Paris. Wonderful little place, eunuchs the lot of them though. I love their raisins though, much better then London's.

"Ash….There was a lot of ash…Burning, purple fire…." The Hatter suddenly muttered and growled. I blinked, and taking a large leap of faith, I crawled to the very end of his hat. I spread myself out across it, so my weight wouldn't make the hat fall off of his orange hair.

"Hatter?" I asked. He glanced up and saw my tiny face. His eyes had gone yellow again, and for a second I was worried, but his eyes didn't seem to malice right now. It was more a burning hate, but not for me. "Are you all right, Hatter?" I asked. He grimaced and glanced around.

"It was a dreadful time…Suzy….Araogat….Delare…All in flames and ash, from the Jabberwocky…My family…" The Hatter muttered. I furrowed my eyes trying to guess what he was talking about. From the sound of it Suzy, Araogat, and Delare were part of his family, and they were killed with flames and ash…and it was a dreadful time.

"Tarrant?" I asked delicately. "Are you all right? I'm sorry…" I apologize. I was sure that my mentioning of ash had brought this on. How was I supposed to know though? I really don't know that much about this place, **even though I should know enough…**

"It's quite all right, Aluna." He said, in that childish voice, and his eyes went back to green again though they weren't as bright as before. Then he suddenly stopped. I blinked and looked around. We had arrived in a place that had been badly burned to the ground. There were only burnt stumps, pieces of buildings, and a few stone ruins. "This is where it happened." The Hatter suddenly announced.

"What happened?" I asked him. He took me off of his hat, gently and sat me on a stump. I stumbled for a moment, having become used to the gentle swaying on top of the hat. I turned around so I could see his face. He looked frightened and haunted. Whatever had happened here must have been very hard for him.

"It's not a pretty story." He muttered, glancing around. I took another look around and saw all of the horrible things there. Just to the left I could see a wooden sign that must have been part of the town as a sign for a store. It read 'Hightopp's Shoes'. I frowned at it. That seemed so familiar to me…

"_Tarrant what do they sell here?"_

"_Shoes! There a brilliant rainbow! They have green, yellow, purple, burgundy, red, orange, blue, gold, black-" _

"_Hatter!"_

"_Fez…Sorry!"_

I blinked and the moment was gone. I'd been here before? Why did it seem like that? I don't remember that in my dream. All I remember was the one day I spent there. I helped with the Red Queen didn't I?

"Hatter, will you tell me about what happened here? I promise I can take it." I told him, patting a finger of his that was still on the stump. I smiled gently at his scared face.

"I was hatter to the white queen at the time. The Hightopp clan has always been employed at court." He sat down, ready to get into the story. Every so often he would turn to stare at the destruction. As he began to tell me what happened, how the jabberwocky had attacked the Hightopp clan's houses. I felt my horror and sadness growing. Who would do this?

I could almost see all of the carcasses around us, their little top hats the only thing left of them. I could see the Hatter picking up the Top hat that the patriarch for the Hightopp clan wore. When he finished telling me the story of how the Hightopp clan was slaughtered I had my hands across my mouth, in an attempt to hide my sadness from him. I sniffed, as he seemed to finally come out of his daze.

"That's very depressing Hatter. I'm sorry for your lose." I mumbled, patting his hand again. He'd used it mid sentence to gesture, and had left it there as he went on. He seemed to scrutinize me. "I know when my father passed; I was very, very upset. I mostly got mad though." I told him thoughtfully.

"So that's how you lost it?" The Hatter asked. It turned my head to the side, not thinking much of it.

"Lost what?" I asked. The hatter used his large finger to poke me in my tummy. I tried to suppress the giggle.

"Your muchness!" He exclaimed. "You used to be much more muchier. Now its not there anymore. You've lost it." He explained, still seated. I pondered that. I did feel a bit different when I got the news. I'd been playing outside with the butterflies at the time and so I guess the change had been very large. But now that I'm here, where once again someone shares in my weirdness, like father did. I feel much better. **Of course, he was probably talking about you **_**losing **_**me.**

"I'm sure I'll get it back, Hatter. I'm sure of it. I like it here, you people, or animals, understand me and like me for who I am. Though I don't think Mally likes me very much." I muttered the last sentence about Mally but the Hatter's clothes suddenly gained a great deal of color.

"You like it here? In Underland?" He asked, sticking his face extremely close to my tiny body. He was so close that I could see the dark orange whiskers that had grown since he had last shaved.

"Yes?" I answered, more like a question. "It's beautiful and fun!" I went on at his hopeful and encouraging expression. I'd never been looked at by a man with this expression. Usually they told me that I was there to listen not to speak. "All the amazing things I've seen! And I've only been here such a short time!" I breathed. My mind was remembering all of the amazing things. The talking flowers with faces, the white rabbit, and the blue caterpillar that seemed so familiar.

"So you'd think of staying this time?" The Hatter asked me, his expression so hopeful, his eyes so green and wide, and his clothes shining. How could I possibly reject that face? Oh, but I didn't want to say yes and not mean it. I thought hard about it. I could go back, to my mother and sister. After all they are really just trying to protect me…I could think of Alice to. But she was fine with being with them, she actually liked Hamish enough to marry him. If I went back I'd end up forced to be with Hamish, and that would hurt not only me, but Alice as well.

"Aluna?" The Hatter asked, tentative but it didn't even register in my brain. I was thinking to hard. I began to mutter to myself on my options, something I did whenever I was alone, except I wasn't alone now.

"Daddy's gone….Mother…." I muttered to myself, even twirling at one point before I came to a decision. "I think…" I began, wobbling from wooziness. The Hatter stuck out his finger behind me stopping me from falling. "Thank you." I answered.

"So will you stay?" The Hatter asked, still as hopeful looking as before.

"I-" I was so close to saying it-so very close to telling him the answer but then the sound of howls interrupted me. I looked towards the way we came, frustrated but Hatter made a gasping sound.

"Red Knights!" He exclaimed, standing up, and picking me up as well. He pushed me into a pocket with a muttered outlandish curse. I squealed as I came in contact with a pin already in the pocket. I popped my head out of the pocket, careful to stabilize myself on the edge of it. The Hatter began to run, trying to outrun the knights and the dog. Tarrant ran over knocked over logs, at one point he hid behind a tree to look and see how far they were behind. I was knocked over a few times, getting poked by the needle at one point.

The Red Knights began to catch up and I wished very hard that I could use my legs to run to but that would only slow us down if I were to try. Suddenly, to my surprise, the Hatter stopped. He glanced behind us, at the approaching knights and then again at the river in front of us. I could just see a tree on the other side of the lake. The Hatter finally seemed to decide. He tore his precious hat off of his head and picked me up out of his pocket. He set me back on the top.

"Go South to Trotter's Bottom!" He exclaimed to me. "The White Queen's castle is just beyond. Hold on tight!" I grasped the pink ribbon.

"Hatter!" I screamed back as I was suddenly spun across the lake on the hat. I became so sick, incredibly so. It didn't help that I bounced on the ground at least two times before the hat came to a stop. I lost my grip and went tumbling down onto the ground, knocking the little breathe I'd managed to save out of me. I stumbled up, trying to breath. I looked off to the other side to see my knight with shining eyes being surrounded by the red knight cards. I wanted to scream out for him, but I knew my voice would not be heard.

I watched him be taken away. My heart screaming at me, **Do something! Remember Damn it! **I shuddered as the temperature began to drop. There was no way I could make it to the white Queen's castle on such short legs. I'd collapse before I got a quarter of a mile in. I turned to the setting sun and frowned. There was no way I could make it even if it was day outside. I turned to the hat on the ground. I'd have to take care of it for the Hatter. I don't want the one thing left of his clan to be destroyed because I left it.

I crawled under the hat. Wow it had nice pink fabric on the inside of the hat. I pulled the dress closer to me and grimaced. There was no way I could sleep in this cold, but I had experienced a very trying day. First Hamish proposed, then I fell down a hole and ended up in a wonderful and magical place. Plus I met someone that I could actually like.

Of course it was to soon to tell, but so far I like him much more then anyone else I'd met. He was adorable, and half-mad. He was my walking dream. He had wonderful crafting skills too. Mother would disapprove of course. He was a milliner, and mad. But mother married Dad and he wasn't exactly the sanest person in the world. But they weren't here in this world. Mom was always thinking about money, not about my happiness. I'd rather be happy with a milliner then rich with a man I don't respect.

Well, that was if he liked me back. I wonder if the marry down here. Was there some kind of tradition down here? Did they have to wait a certain amount of time here? I know in…Upperland…you don't have to wait at all. You just decide if you want to marry them or not, and then if they are already engaged or married then you can propose. I've always hated the boys because they never listened, never wanted to have a proper conversation.

I'll have to wait and see. Maybe I could ask someone what the courting rules are here. But what if they ask me why I want to know…

Slowly I fell to sleep with worries of courtship, pictures of the Jabberwocky, and of burning buildings dancing in my brain.

I awoke later, in the morning sometime, to one of the weirdest sounds. That weird sound was the only warning that my dazed mind was given before the top-hat was pushed over by a big black sniffing nose. I screamed as a large dog came into my view. I didn't have a fear of dogs, I just disliked them deeply. I scrambled back, against the edge of the hat, scared of the brown and black dog. He only sat down, trying not to scare me anymore then I already was.

I realized that he must have been the same dog I'd heard from before, when I'd been stuffed into the teapot. "You!" I exclaimed pointing at his muzzle. "You were supposed to lead them away! The Hatter trusted you!" I accused. I carefully stumbled into the hat, trying to calm down my breathing. There was not a trace of sleep in me anymore, the fear of the dog having nearly shocked me into Cardiac Arrest.

"They have my wife and pups." The dog informed me. I felt bad, but I was still scared of the dog. He was trying his best not to scare me anymore then he had. Irrationally I began to feel angry. I didn't want to be scared. How was I going to slay a jabberwocky, if I couldn't overcome the fear of a dog? Even if it was a very….very large dog.

"What's your name?" I asked him roughly.

"Bayard." He answered me.

"Sit!" I ordered, tentative. I didn't want to anger him, but I wanted to know that I wasn't scared. I crawled out of the hat, watching his mouth, waiting for them to open and eat me but they didn't. It strengthen my resolve.

"Would your name be Aluna, by any chance?" He asked uncertainly trying not to scare me anymore but he seemed really anxious. If they had his wife and pups, then he was probably allied with the white queen, right?

"Yes, I'm Aluna, though everyone keeps telling me differently." I said, bitterly. He tilted his head and I smiled at him, cautious still of his teeth and his motives.

"The Hatter would not have given himself up for just any Aluna." The dog, Bayard, assured me. I frowned at the mention of the Hatter. I still was nervous of these new feelings for him, even if they were new. I knew though that I didn't want him in captivity just because he tried to save me.

"Where did they take him?" I asked him. If I knew where it was I could head there, and then try to save the Hatter. At this height I could probably get into small spaces easier. That would be very helpful if he was in a cell.

"To the Red Queen's castle in Salazen Grum." He said, motioning with his head the exact opposite way from where the Hatter said that the white queen's castle was at. Probably not exactly. They had to be a little close, I could see that.

"We're going to rescue him!" I decided. It was what I wanted to do.

"That is not foretold." The dog said with a solemn tone.

"**I don't care! I make my own path!" **I told him sternly. I don't know where it came from but the pit of anger in me had opened up. I didn't like being tested about something this important. If we didn't get to the Hatter soon then we might be too late to save him. There is no telling what they were doing to him there. "He wouldn't be there if it weren't for me." I said, slightly quitter then before.

"The Frabjous Day is almost upon us." The dog tried to sway me. "You must prepare to face the jabberwocky." He ordered me. I grew even angrier. I felt something inside me begin to crack and I was very angry, almost furiously so.

"From the moment I fell down the rabbit hole, I've been told what I must do, and who I must be." I said, getting closer to him. "I've been scratched, stretched, and shrunk into a teapot. I've been accused of not being who I am, and being who I am not." I snorted. "I am my own person, with my own thoughts. I will decide where I go from here!" I shouted. I didn't care if it looked like I was throwing the largest tantrum in the world, I shouldn't have to be pushed around by others.

"If you diverge from the path…" Bayard tried weakly.

"**I make the path!" **I shouted again and the grass and dirt around me wrippled. Bayard's snoot was pushed to the ground in submission. I didn't mind though. I climbed on top of his head, mindful of his teeth. I sat down, grasping the little loop for the leash on his black spike to steady myself. "Take me to save the Hatter! Don't forget the hat!" I said when he stood up and tried to take a step.

He picked up the hat carefully and took off towards I'm presuming the Red Queen's castle. I held on tightly, the fur chaffing the dress. Bayard took off through the grass. He moved through the grass until we hit dirt. It wasn't long after that I noticed a castle approaching us. I stared at it, the rising towers, the red heart formed by the peers. I shuttered at the awful sight of it.

**I forgot to put an author's note in the last chapter! I've got some news. **

**I have made a photobucket account just so that you would have a visual for the actors if you need it. Also there are pictures of Destiny on there both when she's a divinity and when she goes into the realms. The link is in my profile.**

**More striking news. My main source of typing was my laptop. I say 'was' because it has officially bit the dust. I don't have enough money to buy a new laptop so I only have my new computer. The problem with this is I usually type on the go so I have time when I get home to do other things.**

**So my updating will be slow.**

**Also, I have recently started looking for another source of publishing. has been giving my computer multiple viruses and I believe it is the website that fried my laptop. When I find a new website I shall post a link onto my profile. I plan to finish this story on here, so that you guys can enjoy it as well.**


	8. Um from Umbridge

He picked up the hat carefully and took off towards I'm presuming the Red Queen's castle. I held on tightly, the fur chaffing the dress. Bayard took off through the grass. He moved through the grass until we hit dirt. It wasn't long after that I noticed a castle approaching us. I stared at it, the rising towers, the red heart formed by the peers. I shuttered at the awful sight of it.

We approached the Red Queen's castle with great caution and Bayard had to bend down so that he wouldn't be seen. We came upon a river, filled with what I hoped were fake severed heads. I grimaced at it. I hated it. Who would be so cruel as to do this? To decapitate someone is a punishment but to keep their heads in a river is just disgusting, and wrong.

"There is only one way across." Bayard said. He'd put the hat down on the ground so he could talk. I slid off of Bayard's back and walked close to it. I could see what he was getting at here. I'd have to climb across the severed heads. At the very least they were stone now. I sighed and glanced at the hat then at Bayard.

"Lost my muchiness, have I?" I breathed trying to regulate my breathing. I pushed myself onwards, to the first severed head. I shuttered as my bare foot came in contact with the severed head. They felt like stones, so maybe they really were fake. From what I've heard of this red queen she seemed to be a real problem so the heads were probably a warning for me.

I mushed on, taking the heads one at a time. I uttered a few curse words when at one point my leg fell into the mouth of the head. I shook it off. Finally, after a large leap, I made it to the other side. I sighed in relief only to have to stare at the large wall in front of me. The grey stone looked fine. I noticed a crack in the wall big enough for me to walk right through. I turned back to Bayard. "Bayard! The hat!" I called, motioning for him to throw it to me. He picked it up with his mouth and then turned a few times, letting it lose. To my shock and frustration it went to high, completely over the wall, and into the unknown.

I sighed, and waved at Bayard once. I quietly walked through the crack in the wall. As soon as I was through I realized that I was in a garden. There were cut bushes everywhere with red flowers. I looked around, and they were all cut to look like things. I could see a large one cut in the shape of a large head, with a heart for hair. I hesitantly kept walking. Finally I made it to one of the bushes.

I must have just come in time for something. There were a bunch of people. Not just any people, not even people like the hatter. They were all large at some point in there body. I didn't know what was going on but they were all surrounding a woman with the largest head I have ever seen. It didn't help that her hair was even larger. It was red and in the shape of a heart. I frowned at her. Then I saw the crochet pieces, and the white rabbit. The dodo bird from before pulled out a pink bird, a flamingo I believe.

He handed it to the woman with the large head. "Your majesty." He said, bowing to her when she took it. She was the Queen? She didn't look so horrible. Sure the big head was weird, but this is Underland. Well, I shouldn't judge someone on their looks. I watched silently as the Queen straightened the flamingo out, and then straightened it out. Then I realized what they were using as a ball, a hedgehog! Oh that poor thing! The Queen raised her flamingo and then struck. The Hedgehog flew, and I realized it was coming towards me. Luckily for me it missed me by a hair.

I took in a breath before running to the tied up hedgehog. I started struggling with the large, bulging ropes. The Hedgehog started squeaking with loud noises. I shushed it. "I'm trying to help you!" I whispered to it. The Hedgehog stayed still and I finally tugged it lose from its bindings.

It bowed in thanks but I heard a rustling behind me. I turned around to see the white rabbit coming through the bushes. I smiled as it hopped up to me. "You're all right!" I whispered to him. "I saw them capture you." I muttered.

"If it isn't the Aluna!" He nearly exclaimed. I shushed him slightly. Then he suddenly grew worried. "Why are you here? You're supposed to be with the White Queen?" He asked, shifting closer.

"I'm going to rescue the Hatter!" I announced. His face suddenly became very sly. I shot him a confused look but he just kept looking at me sly.

"Oh have you…fallen for our dear Hatter?" He asked smugly. I blushed, the heat rising to my cheeks telling me that much. I didn't get to answer though because my blush seemed to be taken as my answer. "I suppose you would. You two were right chum's the last time you were here. You were too young then, of course." I flushed darker. I was sure my usually pale skin was as red as the roses now.

"Rabbit!" I muttered, breaking his suddenly dreamy expression. I don't know why he thinks I've fallen for him. I've met him all of once, not including the barely remembered first time. Apparently we were 'right chum's' before. I wished I remembered it. All I remembered was that he showed me around his clan's village.

"Oh, of course, the Hatter will be thri- oh, what?" He seemed to see me again. "Oh right. Well, you aren't going to do any good like that. You're the size of the gerbil!" He motioned to me. I began to think on this.

"Oh!" An idea came to me. "The cake! Do you have any more of it, the stuff that made me grow the last time I was here? When I first learned how to get past the door?" I asked him, in a hurry. I could see the others just past the bush, wondering where the rabbit had gone.

"Upelkuchen?" He asked. I had no idea what he was talking about but apparently that was the name of the tea. "Ac-Actually I might just have some of it left. He fiddled in his little uniform and then handed me a large piece of cake. It must have been small to him, but to me it was very large. I hesitated, thinking of a plan. I wouldn't be taken kindly to if I was just my normal height. So if I took enough bites of this cake then I would be big, and they might accept me. I frowned before taking at least two large bites of the cake. I ate them as quickly as I could. I began to stretch larger and larger. I began to worry that I'd grow too much. Finally I stopped, with my head just above the bushes.

I flushed again when I realized that the dress the Hatter had made me was ruined from my sudden growth spurt. "And what is this?" I looked down, away from my naked form. The Queen and a few of her close cronies had arrived. They must have been expecting the page only.

"It…It's a 'who' your majesty…This is…um.." The Rabbit tried. He couldn't think of my name fast enough.

"Um?" The queen said, mistaking the rabbits stutter for my name. I took it and rolled with it.

"From Umbridge!" I exclaimed. The queen looked back at me, with a disinterested face, yet that may have been the small glasses on her nose. I couldn't see much of her expression because of the glasses.

"What happened to your clothes?" She asked me, suspicious of me.

"I outgrew them." I made up. It wasn't a lie, just a deliberate misinterpretation. "I've been growing a lot lately." I confessed. "I tower over everyone in Umbridge. They laugh at me…" I muttered in fake despair. I had been laughed at my whole life, just not for my largeness. Then I fake sucked it in. "So I came here, hoping that you might understand." I said, mentioning her head, but not actually saying it.

"My dear girl," She started. I held my breath, hoping the lies had worked. "Anyone with a head that large is welcome in my court." She said, handing the flamingo away to the dodo bird. "Someone find her some clothes!" She yelled out to her poesy of people. I let out the breath I'd been holding, happy that I'd been accepted here. "Use the curtains if you have to, but clothe this enormous girl!" Then she looked back at me. I smiled at her, in real happiness. Not for being accepted but because this was going to be easier to save the Hatter.

It took them quite a while, half the day even, to find me some clothes. They used all kinds of material, some of which were actual curtains. All of it was red and white though. It all matched, though it was a bit scruffy. They had to get a rope, along with some thread and clippers to get it to cover all of me. I began to think that I should have eaten a little less, when the royal tailor decided that I was finished.

I finally moved from behind the bench, fully clothed. I smiled in happiness. As the day had went on it had become colder. "There, much better." The queen said smiling, the red heart on her lips brightening. I smiled at her as well, happy. She turned at once, motioning for me to follow her. For the next hour and a half, I listened to her explain to me where everything was. I became slightly bored with it all, but I suppose it was better then being in a dungeon like the Hatter was.

"And then this is my royal room. I have my throne here; it's where I met the prisoners." She explained as they opened the door. Everyone was there, waiting. I guess they'd been warned because beside her throne was two monkeys holding a 'chair' up waiting for me. I could see them shaking at the mere sight of me and I could see why. There was no way they could hold me up with their little arms. I walked with the Queen to the chair.

She sat down on her throne with a huff. "I need a pig here!" She yelled out for them. She looked tired. I looked at her confused but then a large pig ran up to her, diving and turning at the same time. She propped her feet up on the pig and sighed in bliss. "I love a warm pig belly for my aching feet." She explained. "Would you like one, Um?" She asked me considerately.

"No, thank you." I said, making sure to smile at her so she didn't go crazy on me.

"Sit!" She ordered me. I glanced behind, at the small chair then at her. "Sit!" She ordered again, sternly in warning. I sat down, prepared to be dropped onto the ground at first glance. I think I hit the floor, the arms of the monkeys unable to keep me up. I felt so fat at that moment that it was really horrible for me but I didn't say anything about it because really if I thought about it I wasn't fat at all.

She turned to the people around us and motioned for them. "Go away!" She shooed them rudely. They bowed and said quiet 'your majesties' and hurried out of the door. As they hurried to get out of the door before upsetting her, she only became even more excited. The Queen was acting more like she was happy to meet someone new, and like her. For a moment I felt bad for her.

"Where are my fat boys?" She asked, which was random. She turned to me then. "You must meet them." She turned to the now empty room. "Fat boys!" She shouted, her voice echoing through the castle. It took a moment but then I saw movement off to the right of us. To my surprise, in walked the Tweedles who I thought had been carried away by the bird to be lunch. They seemed nervous, and I smiled at them but they didn't see me at first.

"Oh, there they are." The Queen noticed them too. "Aren't they adorable?" She asked me. I nodded, grinning. "They have the oddest way of speaking. Speak, boys, amuse us." She ordered them. I watched as they one by one realized who I was. I made gestures behind the back of the Queen for them to not say anything. They didn't get it at first but then the first twin got it.

"Oh-Is that-" The twin said.

"No it's not!" The twin who got it stumped the others foot and he seemed to get it.

"Oh, no, it's not, but if it were we'd know." The twin said, confusing even his twin. I blinked but the Queen laughed loudly.

"Aren't they silly? I love my fat boys." She told me, turning as if her voice didn't carry across the large room. The boys looked at each other, offended. Then she turned back to them. "Leave!" She shouted at them. I tried to smile reassuringly at them. They grabbed each others hand and started waddling away. I could see why everyone seemed to hate her. She wasn't exactly the nicest queen in the world.

Suddenly the Red Queen gasped. I looked to her, expecting what I don't know, but I didn't expect the man that stood beside her. He was dark, wearing almost all black. His hair was greasy, and tangled while his skin was almost pale with death. Over one of his eyes I could see a patch, of red. His ridiculously long legs made him taller than even the back of the Queen's throne.

He turned to the Queen and took her offered hand, kissing it delicately if not reluctantly. I stayed silent, turning to give them privacy for each other. The Queen had obviously liked the man, though the man was using her for the crown. I felt even worse for her; something told me that she wasn't bad until she'd met her lover.

"And, uh, who is this lovely creature?" I heard the snake like voice of the man say. I turned back to him, and disliked the look in his eye at once.

"Um, my new favorite." The Queen introduced, though I saw reluctance in her.

"Well, does she have a name?" He asked again, though the queen had already told him. He apparently thought that she had studdered.

"Um." The Queen said again.

"I believe your name has slipped the Queen's mind." The man tried to be cute but his ways were clear by his clothing, and choice of lover. I didn't want anything to do with the man.

"Her name is Um, idiot!" The Queen said, shouting the idiot part. I admit that would have frustrated me as well, but that maybe because I have a peeve about repeating things more than once.

"From Umbridge." I said, polite.

"Any luck with the prisoner?" The Queen asked, regaining her cool façade.

"He's stubborn." The man said tightly, taking his gloves off with more force then was strictly needed. I wondered who they were talking about, just which prisoner they were talking of. The Queen looked up at the man.

"You're too soft." She told him. I looked at her large red hair. I wonder if she knew that the hair style of a heart only made it seem larger. "Bring him!" She shouted again to the almost invisible servants. Now that I look she even had monkeys holding up the candles and bats were holding up the chandelier in the middle of the room.

At once, as if they had foreseen her want, the red and gold doors opened by the force of two frogs dressed as waiters. I could just see the hulking form of someone surrounded by the army of red armored cards that had chased me before. I hope none of them actually recognized me.

As the figure walked farther down the throne room the cards fell back behind him, and I at once recognized the mop of bright orange hair that stuck out everywhere on his head. The hatter moved farther down the room, his head bent to watch his feet shuffle across the floor. I could just see on the shoulders a discoloration that looked sickeningly like dried blood. I felt grit pool in the back of my throat. They'd tortured the poor hatter.


	9. Um's favorite

The pig at the Queen's feet ran off, letting out a squeal just as the entourage made it to the steps leading to us. I heard the shackles on his wrists, but I could see the reddening of his wrists more. Then as he reached the steps the Hatter or Tarrant fell to his knees before us. I felt bad, immensely guilty that all of this had happened for me because of this stupid prophecy that had been made. **Oi! I take offense to that!**

"We know Aluna has returned to Underland." The Queen stated, at the same time that the Hatter looked up enough to see me. I saw his eyes flash for a moment but his face changed in no other way, which saddened me. Had they broken his spirit? "Do you know where she is?" I tried to smile at him, hoping it would help but it only made his eyes flash again. I worried for the Hatter. He'd been kind enough to me; he didn't deserve this treatment from her.

The Hatters eyes moved off of me and he began to speak. "I've been considering things that begin with the letter 'M'." he said, moving his head around with the rest of his body. Then his voice grew gruff, though not the husky Scottish of before. "Moron, mutiny, murder, malice." I could see the slight yellowing of his eyes.

"We're looking for an A word now. Where is Aluna?" She said strongly, if not forcefully. I looked back between them and my frustration grew. Why was I so helpless in this world? Why couldn't I just do something for myself? To be the hero. I'll never be able to slay the jabberwocky with myself like this. I don't think I can even get out of this situation without the help of someone else.

"Who, that wee boy?" The hatter asked, joking again about my gender. I didn't feel the flare of anger as before, even as he let out a half-hearted laugh. I was just happy they hadn't killed all of his, what did he call it here? His muchness! That's it! "I don't know." He answered. It hit me that I hadn't even been slightly worried that he would rat me out.

"What if I cut off your head? Will you know then?" The Angry queen asked. I looked back to her, worried for the hatter's safety again. All he did though was laugh manically, which I suppose I should have suspected. I have no idea what I would have done in this situation if I were him but I knew what I was doing now, and it was not good.

"Stop that." She ordered and he shut up at once. Then a thought came to me. What if I could get the hatter out of this situation? What if I could find a way to save him without getting myself in more trouble? Oh, what could I use? I couldn't use much of anything could I?

"Your majesty?" I tried to grab her attention. She turned to me her eyes changing from the forceful ones of before to a soft kindness. So she really did like me. That's what I could use! I knew it was mean and cruel of me but I had to get Hatter out of this situation. I guess it could be okay since she hadn't shown any kindness to others before me, cutting off their heads.

"Yes, Um?" She asked me. I hesitated a moment before starting to put those acting skills to use. I've always been good at lying, ever since I told mom it was Hamish that cut up all of my dresses.

"Well, it seems that the poor man doesn't know, he's half insane as it is!" I started, leaning closer to her, as if in conference. "I was thinking it would be a shame to waste him…" I muttered to her. Her eyes brightened.

"True." She said, turning to analyze the Hatter, who was looking in between the Queen and I, no doubt confused beyond believe. "What do you have in mind for him?" She asked me.

I panicked, as I hadn't seen this one coming but then her eyes lit up like fireworks and I got this nervous foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach. "I know! You, Hatter!" She said pointing at the Hatter as if his attention wasn't already on her. "Your sentence is to be Um's favorite!" She decided. I had no idea what she was talking about, my favorite? "You will do as she says, until she tires of you!" The queen ordered. I could do nothing but stutter but the man standing beside her throne was shocked.

"Your majesty, if I may be so bold, do you think it is a good idea to let a _prisoner _near the lovely lady?" He asked her. I made a face at the use of 'lovely' lady. Could he at least think of something else to call me? I did hate bland adjectives, though I admit it may just be him that I dislike so much.

"Unbind him!" She ignored his pleading to which I was internally grateful for. The man hesitated as if he was actually thinking about disagreeing. "Stayne!" She ordered again. He grabbed his sword, and swung it between the Hatter's out stretched hands, removing only the chains. I could still see the wrist bands on them. The Hatter rose, and I saw Stayne grip his sword again but then he sheathed it.

"Your majesty." The hatter said, bowing to her, then to me. "Your Umness." He said to me, giggling with a little more delight then before. I smiled at him, happy that I had thought of something for once that was all of my doing. The Hatter sat down before me, just at the edges of my 'skirts'. The Queen stared at me and I tried to drudge up what the courtly thing would be to do.

"Thank you for this most spectacularly appreciated gift, my Queen." I said, bowing my head, and part of my abdomen to her. She nodded.

"You're quite welcome, Um." She said, sitting back in her chair again. I tried to think of something, then she turned back to the forward position, to stare ahead at the line of armored guards. "Leave us!" She shouted at them. They hurriedly moved backwards, still in formation though I saw a few of them stumbling over themselves. The Queen looked at Stayne again but then at her servants.

"Bring me and my favorites a glass of drink!' She shouted at one of the frogs. It hurriedly pulled a hidden cord and after a few moments a fish came out, carrying just the needed amount of glasses though one of them was much smaller than the others and one was a golden goblet. The fish bowed and did a funny wobble with its tail so it could reach us. It offered the Queen the drink and she drunk a bit of it out of the golden goblet. Then she nodded and the drink was offered to Stayne.

He took it without a look at the fish. Then the fish offered me the drink and I took it off of the trey, taking a glance at the liquid before putting it to my lips. As I took a small sip I realized that it was some kind of juice. It had the taste of pomegranates yet sweeter, with a small bit of…coconut? I looked at the glass again and blinked before looking at the fish again. It offered the small glass of water to the Hatter who took it and drank it down straight without a worry.

I frowned and glanced at the dried blood on the back of his neck before glancing at the Queen. She was talking about something with Stayne, about Aluna, or me. As they were both absorbed in this new way to catch me I delicately poured some of my own drink into the Hatter's. He looked up at me his green eyes bright and wide with innocent thankfulness. He drank this one much more slowly though just as preciously. I could see his eyes drifting closed now that he was out of emanate danger.

I glanced again at the Queen before fake yawning loudly. She zoned in on me and I blinked as she smiled, not so much kindly but with care. "Poor Um, you must have traveled far to come seek me out. Sleep!" She ordered. "And take your favor with you." She added. I nodded, bowing as I rose from my seat on the floor.

"As you wish, thank you, your majesty." I said, backing out. The Hatter rose as well, bowing with me.

"Your majesty," His lisping voice added to my own good-bye. I smiled and took his hand to drag him out of the room. Not that I needed to really, because he was following me out.

As soon as we were out of the doors to the throne room and they had closed I pulled Hatter into a hug. He was smaller than me now, so his head didn't reach very far, maybe to my stomach but I didn't mind. "I was so worried, Hatter." I breathed, laying one of my large hands on his frizzy hair. He had frozen up by now so I quickly stepped away, releasing him. I smiled at him sheepishly.

"Aluna." He stated the lisp just so damn adorable. "You were supposed to go to the white queen." He muttered, his face still frozen. I gently pulled him along with me, towards the room that the Queen had given me.

"I couldn't just allow you to be captured for me!" I stated, nodding to the passing bystander who had abnormally large feet. "Besides, I don't know much of anyone else from this place." I muttered to him. I kept hold of his hand as I led him down the hall. "Plus, it's just cruel to leave you after what you did for me." I said cheerfully.

"But I haven't done anything for you…" The Hatter said, now clasping my much bigger hand with his. I couldn't wait until I had normal sized hands again.

"Then this will be a kind of foreseen favor. When you do something for me, I will have already done something in return." I answered and just as the words left my mouth I realized how extremely mad I sounded. I'd just screwed up the whole sentence. It should have been said….well I'm not quite sure how it was supposed to be said, but not like that I'm sure.

Finally I stopped in front of a large black door with red paneling. Hesitantly I pulled open the door to the rooms. I hadn't actually seen them since the Queen pointed them out to me. It appeared to be a well-furnished suite, with two to three chairs, even a recliner. They were all centered around a heart-shaped table. A large, again heart-shaped, bed lay in the corner of the room with crimson and red sheets tucked snuggly over its mattress.

"Here we are." I announced, as if happy to be in this room. I walked in, finally releasing the Hatter's hand. I at once felt the strong pull that was the loss of warmth from the Hatter's hand. "The Red Queen gave it to me. There shouldn't be any servants in here, but there is a cord over there if you need anything." I said pointing over there. I only knew this because of the Red Queen's instructions of such.

"Yes." The Hatter said, understanding at once. I frowned suddenly. Were we expected to be here all day? Then my eyes caught sight of the darkness outside and I realized that the trip here with Bayard had not exactly been short, and neither had the time it took them to find me something to wear. The sun was just now connecting with the horizon. I'd always loved the horizon. It made me feel like I'd always love it, as if it was the heart of my being. **That's because of Jack, of course.**

I pulled myself back to the door though the Hatter was in the middle of the room. "I'll be back in a little while." I announced to him. I wanted to do something else for him. I don't know what but it would come to me hopefully.

"Where are you going?" He asked me, curious I suppose.

"I'm going to…take a walk in the garden." I made up. It did seem like a good idea now that I think about it. Would it be so bad if I could see the roses? So I turned from the room so that I could go to the gardens. Yes, a little beauty in all of this madness would be good for me no doubt.

I skipped out, before the Hatter could get another word in. The black and crimson walls seemed to be too small for me at some points but that could have been just my imagination. Finally I stepped outside of some ornate doors and into the garden of before. I was suddenly glad for the Red Queen's tour. How else was I going to know where everything was?

It took me quite some time to make my way around the garden. The red roses and other flowers were beautiful though not nearly as beautiful as they could have been if they were rainbow colored. How magnificent would that be to have orange, pink, purple, red, gold, turquoise, and violet flower petals clashing with each other?

I heard a squeaking and looked down to see that on the vine covered bricks were the hedgehog that I had saved. It was squeaking at me and then running a little ways. I looked at it curious. "Do you want something?" I asked him. He nodded and then did it again and I got it. "Do you want me to follow you?" I tried again. The little thing jumped up and down before running off. I followed him a few paces, or for me anyway, the hedgehog looked as if he'd run a marathon.

Then I saw what he had wanted. I leant down and took the hat lying on the corner of the stone. I grinned at the little panting thing before leaning down and kissing his cute head. I stood straight and gave him one more smile before heading for the doors. It was dark out but some lit candles had kept the garden alight with wonder for me. Now though I raced to my room so that I could present the Hatter with his hat, but when I arrived at my, or our, rooms he was nowhere in sight.

I frowned and then turned to a maid who was in the hallways. "Excuse me; do you know what happened to the man from in here?" I asked her. She startled, seeming to be surprised by my polite, none threatening tone of voice.

"Uhm, they gave him a room to make hats with…its right there, miss." She said, pointing at a pair of double doors just around the curve. I smiled at her in thanks before walking to the door. I pushed open the doors and saw the Hatter there, with a strange heart decorated apron on. He looked extremely silly, but adorable. That was he would if his face didn't show his misery.

As he looked up from tying a ribbon together I hid the hat behind the many curtains that made my skirt. He smiled at me, unsuspicious of the hands behind my back. When he looked back down to sew on one of the ribbons I placed the hat on the bench behind him, so he couldn't see it and ruin the surprise. I took this time to look at all the red and black hats he had already accomplished in the little time that I had been in the gardens. "They're marvelous, Tarrant." I breathed tracing one of the heart lined ribbons.

**I know, I know, it's been a long time since I updated. I've been caught up in a play I was in and if it wasn't that it was my stupid muse. It refused to let me write in my spare time. **

**Generally I usually have a lack of social life so now that the play I was in is over I should be uploading faster, but I make no promises. I hope you guys like this chapter!**


	10. Cute little hedgehogs

"It is good to be working at my trade, again." He told me, his voice growing extra lispy as he looked up at my much taller form. Then I frowned and without thinking said something.

"It's just a pity you have to make them for her." I muttered. The thought had spurred from wanting him to make a hat for me, but then he couldn't because the queen would get jealous and probably decapitate us both. His arm, which had been turning the sewing slowly stopped and he straightened a little.

"What is the Hatter with me?" He said to himself, softly but I heard it. I thought it over for a second and realized he meant 'matter' instead of 'hatter'. Wow, I'm growing to understand things more. "Hatter?" He seemed to realize his mistake and I watched, helpless as his aura grew dark again. He walked a small few steps away before he suddenly started pushing things over, yelling in sadness. He jerked off the apron and then I saw the chains around his leg, oh no… He went to grab for something out of the reach of his chain and stood there, swinging his arms around to get to it.

I hurried to his side, kneeling on to my knees to wrap my arms around his squirming frame, his arms hit me once or twice but I ignored them in favor of the Hatter. "Tarrant!" I shouted, and he seemed to come out of it. I took one side of his shocked face into my overly large hands. He stared at me for a moment before asking me the same question as when we met.

"Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?" His voice was more breathless then lisp now.

"Because Poe writes on both?" I asked again, confused as to the leap his mind had taken. His eyes filled with tears and he moved closer, to embrace me. I looked down, confused again but he squeezed me again.

"I've waited a long time for you to come back, Aluna." He lisped and I heard the sobs. I wrapped my arms around his frame. He just felt so small in my arms. I wonder if this is what people fill like when they hold their children in their arms. I doubt it as; I was extremely attracted to the Hatter, which was not an emotion that a mother would feel for a son.

"It's all right, Tarrant." I muttered to him softly, ignoring his comment for fear of it causing more problems. "We'll get out of here, I know." He pulled back from me and I let him, dropping my hands to my lap as I still kneeled to his height.

"I'm frightened here. It's terribly crowded!" He said, holding his hands to his face, looking around at the crowded room, well I suppose it was now that I looked around. I looked back to him and took the smaller hands into mine as I listened. "H-Have I gone mad?" He asked, fearful.

"Oh, Tarrant…" I muttered. "There is no mad, nearly those who think outside of the box of conformity." I said then smiled at him, in attempt to lighten the mood. "Plus, I'm half-mad so I can tell when someone is fully mad, half-mad, or even three-fourths of madness. You are half, like me." I grinned at him, and he tentatively smiled back at me with an awkward kind of pull to his lips as if he hadn't smiled for a long time, but I knew that wasn't true. "And I'll tell you my secret." I said, leaning in. "All the best people are!" I announced grinning still.

His smile turned less awkward and I remembered the main reason I'd come in here. I turned from him, searching for his hat. It had been knocked over in his battle with himself but I picked it up and brushed the imaginary dirt off of it before placing it over his head. He smiled, almost rueful but there was more of something that I couldn't place.

"There." I said. "That's much better, you look yourself again, a hatter, no a Hightopp!" I smiled and he giggled, causing me to smile so large I thought I might resemble Chess now. Suddenly, and completely unexpected I heard the voice of the monarch flow through the castle, startling me and making us both look to the door, though no one was there.

"Hat man! Where are my hats? I am not a patient monarch!" Her voice echoed all the way down the castle to here. I looked at the Hatter, confused. Why would he be making her hats? It was now apparent that I had missed something while I was gone.

"I'm told she keeps the Vorpal sword hidden in the castle." The Hatter changed speeds without giving me much time to switch gears inside my mind. "The rabbit will help you." He whispered to me, as if she was listening. His desperate, but steady face sharpened my mind into focus. "Please, find it Aluna and take it to the White Queen, please." He begged me. I noticed an abnormality in that plea.

"We can go to the White Queen together!" I told him urgently. He smiled again with the emotion that was entirely foreign to me.

"Why is it, that you are always too small, or too tall?" Hatter asked me quietly and seemed frustrated about it somehow. I frowned confused, what was I too small or too tall for? But when I opened my mouth to ask he shook his head and pointed to the door urgently. I hesitated before shyly bending down and removing the hat, just so that I could place a delicate kiss on his forehead. I replaced the hat and smiled down at the Hatter.

His eyes had widened, a feat that I had not known possible, his face red, and his eyes were now a beautiful shade of bright red, almost to pink. I turned from him hurrying to shuffle out of the door before he could react to me. What was I thinking? Kissing the Hatter was much to forward. Mother said it was always the men's job to take the lead in the courtship, the woman merely needed to wait.

I was discussing this with myself when I found the twins again. "Tweedles." I greeted them. They snapped to look at who had called them, breaking what small argument that they had been having.

"Aluna! How are you doing again?" One of them greeted me. They both took one of my hands to shake, causing me to bend down from my monstrous height. I wanted to cut to the chase. If I could get the 'Vorpal' sword soon enough I could save the Hatter and myself, possibly everyone. But that was a little ahead of the times now. First I needed to focus on finding the white rabbit, as the Hatter had instructed.

"Where's the rabbit?" I asked them seriously. They didn't seem to pay attention as one looked confused.

"How's it you're being so great big?" He asked me, inquisitively. The other one automatically rolled his eyes and hit his short arm against his brothers.

"She ain't great big, this is how she normally is!" He exclaimed at him. The other looked like another battle was about to ensue between his brother and him.

"I'm certain she smaller when we met." He argued with his identical twin who's expression looked the same as before. The twin rolled his eyes again and I watched as if it was a tennis match.

"No, she drank the pishsalver to get through the door, recall it?" He said. I had no idea which was which, making it much harder to keep track of the conversation then I'd have like it to have been.

"Oh, yeah." The other agreed and they finally looked back to me. This reminded me what I had been in such a hurry to ask them.

"Where is the rabbit?" I asked again. They stood to attention for some odd reason; maybe the firm tone of my voice showed them how important it was. They both pointed different directions.

"Over there." They said at the same time. I swelled with the want to pinch they're little cheeks at the cuteness but resisted. I kneeled down farther, to fix the hunch that was forming in my back. I put a hand on each of their shoulders making sure their attention was on my serious face.

"This is very important, I want to find the Vorpal sword, so that I can help the Hatter, and the whole of Underland, okay? I just need to know where the rabbit has gone to, so please, which way did you two last see him?" I asked them again. I saw the sharp focus in their eyes as they pointed down the same hallway this time. Apparently they cared a great deal when Underland was on the line.

I stood as they started off beside each other. I followed them as they lead me to where they had last seen the rabbit. I started to almost lose myself in my thoughts. I was acting peculiar. I was used to wishing, but never doing. I could feel a presence in the back of my mind telling me that I really did know what I was doing but what was a girl from Upperland going to do against this Jabberwocky that had everyone in such a tizzy? I could barely stand to slap a fly when it got to close to my face, how was I going to touch a jabberwocky?

**With me of course, once you remember that is. **I blinked for a moment, frowning as I still followed the Tweedles. How did that happen? It was like I heard a familiar voice, like my own voice except…different much more muchier. I smiled slightly at that thought. I didn't get to think more about this because as we turned another corner we were met with the rabbit and Mally's voices. Another second and we saw them as well.

I walked faster, motioning for the Tweedles to hurry as well so I couldn't run over them in my hurry to find a way to save everyone from the Jabberwocky. "What are you doing here?" Mally asked as she caught sight of me, now much taller than her I add. I knelt before her just as I had the twins before.

"I'm here to save the Hatter." I challenged. I don't know what came over me, or maybe I did but I didn't have time to acknowledge it.

"I'm rescuing the Hatter!" She exclaimed right back, pointing to herself. I stared at her a moment before I let my eyes soften for her. She really was adorable. I usually didn't like rats **because of Peter Pettigrew…**but for some reason she was just too adorable and protective to hate too much.

"Our spat over the Hatter is not the point right now!" I exclaimed, causing a still silence between everyone that I did not understand but the way their eyes seemed to bug out of their head said much more then they let on. I sighed and rubbed my burning cheek before starting again. "The Hatter told me that the Vorpal sword, which is the only thing to kill the Jabberwocky, is hidden in the castle. I need you to help me find it." I said, the last part directly to the rabbit. He stuttered before bowing hastily before rubbing his hands together.

"Well, I-I know where it is your majesty." He muttered, bowing again. I blinked, standing in shock.


	11. Breath Like the Kraken

"Majesty?" I asked, entirely and thoroughly stunned. The rabbit blinked and then hurried off down the hall with the speed that had led me to the rabbit's hole in the first place. I sighed before taking off after his bouncing feet. I mean really, did he have to run so fast. I only asked a simple question, but it seemed that the question was something that McTwisp, his name if I remember, was not allowed to tell me about. I thought I ought to know, seeing as I was the one to be called majesty. He might have only confused me with someone else.

McTwisp led me through the rolling and confusing tunnels of the Red Queen's castle with determination that I hadn't known the little creature possessed. I finally caught up with him on the roof. It must have been longer then I thought it could have been because now the once plain sky was covered with clouds and I could hear thunder rumbling above our heads. He motioned for me to lean down to him and I did so with a wince. My back was killing me with all of this up and down business.

"The sword's hidden inside." He told me, pointing one of his little paws at the little wooden house on top of the roof. I could see a candle must have been lite in there but I felt horrible for any one stuck inside of there. Who was the Queen to make him sit out here just to guard the Vorpal sword? I suppose that it was a good thing she did, for her anyways. I took a few steps toward the double doors, and I heard McTwisp gulp. "Be careful, Aluna!" He whispered loudly to my back. I glanced under my arm at his worried face but turned back around to look through the double doors.

Just as I was a step away from it, I smelt something, a rotten furry smell but strangely it smelt of flowers too. "I remember that from somewhere." I muttered to myself vaguely. I managed to get up right up to the door before it hit me. First I saw the bones littering the floor. Then I managed to see the white, spotted fur of the Bandersnatch. My breath hitched as it snored loudly.

Why would anything that scary smell even vaguely of flowers? I stuttered back a few steps, remembering still the pain that its claws had been against my arm. I clutched at the healed scars on my arms wincing at the memory. I looked down at McTwisp fearfully. "I can't go in there!" I muttered and pointed at the scars. "Look at what it did to my arm! I'm lucky Chessur did something about it." The last part was thankful. I wonder what that wonderful cat was up to now.

"O-Oh, dear, dear, why didn't you mention this before?" He asked, starting to gasp in breath to fast. I got nervous as his eyes started darting around.

"McTwisp?" I nervously questioned but I was too late, he fell back onto his back. I blinked before moving forward. I was only a simple lady so I didn't know how I was going to make sure he didn't kill himself with worry. However, the even rise and fall of his little furry chest said enough. I hesitantly scooped him up into my arms. He wasn't heavy but as I began to try to find my way through the castle again I began to feel the pull of his weight.

To my surprise I stumbled, completely by surprise onto my room. I opened it with a bit of labor by means of my elbow. I sat him down on the soft silk of my blankets. I could guess that my room was meant for the guests that the Queen never received. Once again I felt bad for her. My guilt moved me to fall onto the bed below the small rabbit.

"What am I doing?" I asked myself. **You're saving a world of people. **The little voice that I'd heard earlier commented. Just then I saw a vision of myself on the corner of my bed. I scrambled up, almost falling over the side in my hurry to get away. 'Myself' just snorted and rubbed her nails against her shirt.

She wore funny clothes. A small button less shirt that she'd somehow managed to write 'Deslock' onto. Not only that, but also had pictures on the shirt, of a man and me or her, whatever, on it.

"**Don't be so cowardly, it's weird!" **She, I, said. I continued to stare at her. Where those trousers? They were made of some kind of funny material and were so tight that you could see my or our ankles clearly through the shoes as well. She or I, sighed in exasperation before sitting up fully. She sat with her legs crossed over each other with her knees bent. She acted very un-lady like which confused me. Good God!

"You're me!" I shouted pointing at her face in surprise. She looked just as surprised though strangely pleased at my outburst.

"**There! I knew I was in there somewhere. I swear this realm is horrible." **She said looking down at her hand again. **"Yeah, well don't get to excited." **She, I, looked back up to my body. Her own body flickered for a moment but she blinked she was solid again.

"What's going on?" I asked, cautious. I couldn't narrow this out as a hallucination because this was Underland and they did support the weird. Though I don't know if even this is something that happens in Undereland.

"**Well," **She started out factually, even raising a finger. **"I am yourself, but er, I'm the one you are **_**supposed **_**to be. When you, or we, bloody hell that's going to be annoying. Anyways when we first came here, we were Destiny. You know the whole, walks through realms knowing what is supposed to happen and making it so? That's why the rabbit called you majesty. Yeah, us." **She, I, smirked for a second, or fifteen but, who was counting?

"**Eh, anyways. The whole reason we came was because Alice Keingsleigh, our best friend from above, was supposed to marry Hamish. If she went down the rabbit hole she wouldn't have done it, therefor ruining the entire realm." **She rambled on telling me. **"We being so kind and unthinking, took off to Upperland and as soon as we stepped foot on solid land we were separated, making me, and then you." **She finished dramatically with a sweep of her hand. I blankly stared at her uncomprehending what she was telling me.

"Bloody hell!" I cursed suddenly, making the still unconscious McTwisp turn over and snore loudly.

"**Yeah, you're telling me, it hurt like hell!" **She exclaimed flapping her arms around as if to explain it.

"So let me get this straight, we are Destiny, and we lost our memory?" I said bluntly. She blinked looking me up and down cautiously, for what I wasn't sure.

"**Yessssss?" **She, I, said. I blinked again and the dam broke in a stream of loud curses.

"For the love of…! Can't even! It's such!" I finally finished. She stared at me for a moment with the same weird expression her face as I had before. I was strongly reminded of the twins except now it was I arguing with myself.

"**Woah, sailor, control yourself." **She said, and she flickered again. I calmed down and scooted closer to her.

"Why did I forget who we were?" I asked her, curious again. I must have been skipping around the pool of emotion because I had gone from completely mad to inquisitive. You'd think I'd be more worried about the Destiny part but some piece of me kind of understood and accepted this part for me.

She became sort of sad at that. It was almost as if she forgot I was there. "**Dear Tarrant was so unhappy when I told of him that I had to go to Upperland. Apparently I had forgotten that the journey from Upperland to Underland made people forget what happened. Since I was in our human body it failed to support my more abnormal mind. Thus, our current memory problem. He was probably sad as hell that I didn't remember him." **She seemed thoughtfully remorse.

"**Of course, so would Mirana. She's probably hurt as well, seeing as she's your daughter…" **She told me. My eyes bulged and my jaw dropped.

Before I could ask, she flickered much more dangerously before. I panicked, sad that my new buddy was disappearing before I could ask her how Mirana was my daughter. She smiled, suddenly much more mischievous then before. **"Don't worry, I'm always with us!" **and she placed a hand on my chest. This caused her to seemingly absorb herself into my heart. I felt a presence in the back of my mind and I heard a faint giggle right before it bubbled out of my mouth.

When the shock of the visit wore off I jumped off of the large bed so that I could run to the doors. I suddenly knew what I needed to do to get to the Vorpal sword.

I nearly ran through the castle trying to find Mally before I calmed down. The visit from me had completely jumbled what little order I had brought to my mind. I was obviously here before, as myself without knowing it. I had apparently been best friends with the Hatter and mother to Mirana. Whoever that was…That seemed to explain a lot of things, like the strange look when I talked to Mally before, and her protectiveness. I'd obviously hurt the Hatter and Mirana but I still couldn't remember being Destiny. Wait, what if Destiny was my muchness that the Hatter had been talking about?

**Spot on! **Destiny said. **Oh, I get a name now? **Bloody hell, this is annoying. Am I going to have to listen to your advice now? **Damn straight! **I started forward through the castle again, with less enthusiasm. I don't know what all of this meant for me. I couldn't not slay the Jabberwocky. I'd been planning to before I'd learnt about my Destiny counterpart. Now though I wonder what was going to come after it. Was I going to go back home to the nagging, and gossiping people of London? Could I stay here, with these people who are all at least half-mad?

"_So you'd think of staying this time?" The Hatter asked me, his expression so hopeful, his eyes so green and wide, and his clothes shining. _

"_You like it here? In Underland?" _

"_I'm sure I'll get it back, Hatter. I'm sure of it. I like it here, you people, or animals, understand me and like me for who I am. Though I don't think Mally likes me very much." I muttered the last sentence about Mally but the Hatter's clothes suddenly gained a great deal of color._

Oh, so that's the cause of that. That was why the Hatter had been so hopeful for someone he'd just met. I just started filling in all of the blanks, though I couldn't remember all of it. I'd thought it had been a dream, and that I was only a young girl then. But it had all been a fabrication of some kind of defense around this world. I couldn't believe that I'd forgotten that the Hatter was my Best friend. I don't know what I'm going to do about Mirana being my daughter.

Apparently when I stepped out of this world, Underland, something caused me to forget myself and the people here. I wonder why my brain thought I had only visited here before.

"_Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?"_

"_Because Poe writes on both?" I asked again, confused as to the leap his mind had taken. His eyes filled with tears and he moved closer, to embrace me. I looked down, confused again but he squeezed me again._

"_I've waited a long time for you to come back, Aluna." _

Yes, it did make sense now, at least a small bit of it did. I still don't remember what was so important about that question.

Just as I'd come to this somewhat resolve, and all of the chaos of my mind seemed to be coming to order I spotted Mally. She was staring into a room, looking desperate. I could hear her calling for the Hatter, who was no doubt still trapped waiting for the Queen to pick one of his hats.

"Mallymkum." I called to get her attention. It passed through my mind that this might have been the very first time I'd used her full name. "Do you still have the Bandersnatch eye?" I asked, even though I could see it hanging there in a small sort of net. **It means something though that you would ask anyway, maybe she'll be kinder…**

"Right here!" She said, lifting it with all of the strength she had in her tiny arms. I knelt, again having back issues. She looked so proud of herself that I felt kind of bad about what I was going to do.

"I need it." I was short and blunt. I didn't have time for the socialness of asking favors. The time I had spent talking with myself had cost me dearly and I feared I'd never get the Hatter out now.

"Come and get it!" She shouted, raising her little pin that I, at one point in time, had been incapable of doing anything about. Now that I was tall again, all right a little too large, I just snatched it straight out of her hands. "Hey! Give it back!" She shouted but I mumbled to her a quick sorry before I headed off to the roof again, now with a plan. I could use the eye to distract the Bandersnatch while I grabbed the Vorpal sword. I could then use it to free the Hatter and then we could grab the others and run to freedom at the White Queen's castle.

**Don't get ahead of yourself…**my subconscious muttered to me. I groaned at the cryptic message but continued to the roof besides the warning; I mean I couldn't just not try to save these people from the reign of the Red Queen; it was against my nature…wasn't it? **You re-gain me more and more as the time passes…**

As I walked through the hallways I began to ponder my visit to Underland. I'd been shrunk, shoved in a teapot, and I've had nothing to eat since I'd come. Yet I couldn't help but love it here. I'd met so many interesting people here in the luscious and interesting lands of Underland. There were no people telling me what I had to wear, what I must act like. All these people asked of me was to slay a Jabberwocky so that their world could be peaceful.

Of course from the look of the beast, which I had seen on the Oraculum, it wasn't going to be the easiest task in the world to do. The thing had been a monstrous black beast with claws, paws, and wings. The massive jaws with jagged, nasty, and yellow teeth jutting out of its curled putrid lips had hung low over its body. I shivered at merely the memory of the drawing. But what could I possibly gain by telling them no? Nothing.

I didn't really fancy becoming a coward and running from my problems. It wasn't how my father taught me to act, and I'd always listened to my eccentric father no matter what my mother told me. She would tell me never to speak when in the presence of a man, and then only when asked. My father always told me to be me so that I'd find someone that liked me because I had a brain, not looks.

This thought brought me to the Hatter. He was different with his white skin and abnormal eyes. It was different and I was a bit shocked by the new-ness of it. However, not long after we had first spoken I began to see the high-cheek bones and the muscles under his clothing. I had been to numb, or shocked by the sudden changing of my surroundings to understand it at first but now that I thought about the Tarrant he seemed more and more attractive.

If he didn't have enough of that going for him the small things, like the lisp or the gap in his teeth just made him so cute! The way he spoke about things that no one else seemed to get just made me want to sit and listen to him. Of course, when he spoke in a Scottish burr I found myself entranced in a different way.

Oh, no, I think I like him more than I should. Had I not, earlier, been thinking of marrying this man? That was something as I'd never thought of marrying a man before. But that could be my views against spontaneously proposing to someone.

Suddenly, just as I absentmindedly pushed the door open, I heard loud, quick footsteps coming up behind me. Not even ten seconds later I was hastily backed into the wall. I squeaked and saw the stringy black hair and eye-patch of Stayne, the Red Queen's knave. I hid the eye behind my back. I had forgotten about it until now but he would probably know that I was Aluna if I had the eye of the Bandersnatch.

I gasped just as he started speaking making me grimace as the smell of fish and rotten fruit reached my nostrils. "I like you, Um." He muttered to me. I fought to keep the disgust off of my face. I'd never managed to hold back my emotions but I think he just ignored the flare of my nostrils and the tightness of my lips. "I like largeness." He continued, leaning closer. I tried to smash myself closer to the wall so that I wouldn't have to get so close to him.

"EW!" I finally couldn't stand it anymore when his hand went to touch my face. I ducked under his arm and nearly ran all the way down the hall and around the corner. I ran up the stairs that led a jagged path to the roof and when I closed the door at the top I took a large gulp of rotten fruit and fish, free air. I could smell the humidity in the air as it started to sprinkle rain down.

I was frozen still for a moment before my entire body shuttered greatly. That could have been the most disgusting run in I've ever had with a man or any creature in my life. **I'll say, his breath almost smelt as bad as the Kraken's. Can anyone say breath mint?**

I giggled at Destiny's humor. I kind of liked her. Her snarky, yet highly amused attitude seemed….right. **Of course it does. When you live so long you get a little arrogant about yourself.**

I shook myself out of my internal conversation so that I could get back to business. I'd wasted enough time thinking about my situation. It was time to stop thinking and to time to take action!

I walked closely to the doors of the miniature house. I opened the doors slowly, making sure not to scare the snoring creature. It gave a small lurch as it woke up. It shook the sleep out of its face and started growling immediately afterwards. I winced and held out the eye with high hopes that this would work. "I've got something that you might want back…" I said to it in what I hoped was a calming, pacifying voice.

It growled again, louder even, showing me all of its disgusting, small teeth that had blackness that was its gums around it. I shivered but dropped to my knees so that I could roll the eye to the creature. It stopped it when it rolled close enough, with its claws. I watched as it moved its head around a bit before growling at me to get back. I did so with haste. When it was focused on its eye, and getting it back in I suppose, I started inching down the wall as fast as I dared. As it started trying to put it back in I dropped down and started searching through the hay.


	12. The Vision and the Sword

Finally, when I feared that the Bandersnatch was going to turn around and scar my back this time I found it. I pushed a wool green blanket away to see an elaborately shaped metal chest. I was sad to find that the pictures were gory, and of the end of the Hightopp clan. If these carvings were accurate I'd be worse off than Tarrant is now. I'd have probably gone more than half mad. I wouldn't be able to stand that my whole family was dead. That made me think about if I really wanted to stay here, away from my family. **But they aren't really your family, are they?**

I began pulling on the simple lock, ignoring the voice in my head, but it wasn't rusted, and would take more than just my strength to pull it loose. I grimaced as the fear, starvation, and exhaustion set in. I fell back against the wall, too tired to try to pull the lock loose again. I rubbed at the new scars on my arm. Three narrow, distracting red lines were my new keepsake but my mind wasn't really focusing on them. It was becoming more and more of a blurr.

**NO! NO! DON'T- **but despite Destiny trying to keep me awake I fell asleep.

I had the weirdest dream as well. It was as if I was there, in the room as the Hatter began to try the Hat's on the Red Queen. I knew this couldn't possibly be real because I was still asleep in the Bandersnatch's clutches on the roof.

**It's a vision…**A whisper of Destiny's sad, voice told me.

_I stood just beside the standing mirror. The Red Queen was standing in front of it and I examined her white bored face. Behind her, making my heart lurch in the strangest fashion was the Hatter. The way my heart lurched I worried that this dream was much more than it should have been, almost as if it were real. Was I being eaten while sleeping? Or maybe I was having an allergic reaction to the growing cake. What was a vision? Destiny didn't answer me so I focused instead on what was happening before me._

_I watched silent as the Hatter put on hat after hat that he'd made for the Queen. As each one touched her head she ordered the next one. I think I liked the one that covered her entire face. At one point, I'm not sure which because it was beginning to get fuzzy around the details, the woman beside the Red Queen had her nose fall off. I stared at it on the floor as if I had no emotion. I watched as the Hatter was sent into a fit of laughter after subtle pointing out the fallen body part. _

"_Don't mind him, he's mad." I know the Red Queen said. Then someone else sped in the room. She had large ears and I knew at once from her gossiping face that she brought bad news. True to what I had foreseen the Queen's face turned red when she finished whispering in her ear. She stomped her foot harshly on the black marble floors. "STAYNE!" She screamed, shockingly forcing me out of my dream or vision._

When my eyes opened the outside was shining through the boards. I groaned, completely forgetting about everything as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I felt better, though my back was hurting something fierce because of what I suspected was the hay behind me. I dug a piece of it out of my back and groaned again.

So it was a complete shock when suddenly I looked up from the piece of hay to see the Bandersnatch there, breathing extremely heavily. I took in a sharp breath and moved back. It seemed to cock its head, as if it knew it now had my attention. This caused me to wonder if it knew more than it let on. I scooted as far back as I could, pressing my aching back against the wall. It only made a motion with its head to something down. I hesitated before looking away from him.

My instincts were telling me not to look away from the predator but I looked around to please it. Despite me looking I could see nothing but hay. It made another motion, getting closer this time. I flinched but then I saw what it was gesturing to. Hanging from the chain that kept it here was held together by a key. I looked back up into its ugly face. Its eyes, once as hateful as its body now had softened. It stretched its neck out to me and this time I did not flinch back. I hesitantly reached out, towards the key.

It grimaced once, making me almost pull back but I refused to be a coward. I reached all the way out to its key before gently, so as not to startle it, taking it off the ring. As soon as the key's weight left the ring the coil of chain that had surrounded the Bandersnatch's neck fell away. I pulled my hand back to my chest as the creature's chest rumbled and it shook its fur. It whined and not unlike a dog it placed its head to the ground in front of me.

I hesitated another moment before stretching out my arm and scratching its head. It purred as I became more and more comfortable with it. I scratched one place behind its ear, causing it to lockup and fall over with pleasure. I giggled loudly as its tongue fell out of its mouth.

Then I turned away from it to look at the chest there. I held the key up, wary of something happening. I carefully put the key into the lock and softly turned it. When there wasn't anything but a click, after three minutes I pushed the top of the chest back and to my great shook nothing happened-besides me falling in love with the sword.

It was beautiful, with crystals of an almost transparent white along the silver incased metal blade. I gently picked it up, running my hands over it. I felt ridges in the blade in the hilt but when I read the words, aloud, I was shocked. "Stern"

**It means star in German. **Destiny put in though she was sad no longer, I heard a hint of pride and fondness. **This sword has been with us since the day we were 'born'.**

I smiled as I traced the lettering, only to get a shock. Within a second I realized that I'd nicked my finger on the edge of the 'r' in the word. Warmth seemed to enter my system, a strange, comforting knowledge, a flood of understanding. I could feel the pulse from the sword. Suddenly I knew how to use this sword. If I twisted it twenty degrees to the right and pushed with half of my strength I could impale a man through the mouth.

I tried to drop the beautiful, deadly sword to the ground but it seemed to be glued to my hand like a stick to a branch. A glowing slowly started, from the tip of the sword to the very tips of my fingers. Then the sword started humming a tune.

"_The bell has been raised from its watery grave_

_Do you hear its sepulchral tone?_

_A call to all, pay heed the squall_

_And turn your sail to home!"_

The beautiful female voice died down, fading in to the air, taking the glowing of the sword with it. I stared, transfixed but the gorgeous sword did not give me more than a glint from the light.

I was so transfixed by the abnormal sword that I was startled when the Bandersnatch nudged my arm. I smiled down at it, keeping the Vorpal sword close to me as if it was the most precious thing I could own.

"I'm sorry." I muttered to the Bandersnatch, while scratching its head again. "I'll be back if I can…" I told it, standing so that I could leave. It whined again and I felt bad for leaving it there however there was a certain Hatter there waiting on me to rescue him.

I sped through the halls, much quicker than I had ever managed to do before. I wasn't stopped by Stayne, and because something told me that the 'vision' was real, I dodged out of the way of anyone who walked down the halls, including multiples of armored cards. I held the Vorpal sword tight to me, but far enough away not to cut myself again. When I walked into the closed doors that led to the Hatter's domain I saw Mally trying to break the lock by pin.

"Hatter, Mally!" I exclaimed, coming closer to them. I flopped down beside Mally, huffing from my speedy run.

"The Vorpal Sword!" The exclaimed right back, although theirs were happier.

"What?" I said, confused in my rushed wheezing. The Hatter got up and tried to shout what I thought was hooray but then the doors that I had just busted through myself, were thrown back by the very knave who had attacked me earlier. I groaned, already knowing that this wasn't going to end well. I rose from my slouched position on the floor, to stand beside the suddenly less excited Hatter.

The man with fish for breath pointed at me, his voice and face angry but his eyes held malice of another kind, a vengeance kind. "Arrest that girl for unlawful seduction!" He cried out, and the red armored guards which I had previously avoided in the halls moved forward, pointing their heart spears at my body, which was significantly larger.

"Hatter," Mally said, worried I supposed. I had no time as the Vorpal sword practically hummed with the need for battle. I grimaced, and tightened my hold on its hilt, completely unprepared for the Hatter to come to my defense.

"Take it to the White Queen!" He ordered, as he stepped possessively in front of me. I grew worried for his safety the moment he had gotten in between this sword and its opponents.

"I'm not leaving without you and Mally!" I announced. True, I'd tacked on Mally's name but I was truthfully, and rashly, worried for the Hatter more than the tiny mouse. The brave, limping, Hightopp leader would not hear of my staying behind.

"Go!" He ordered me again, only glancing behind, as he tried to rush to meet them. As he walked he picked up to rolls of fabric, unusual colors they were, and flung them across the room. As they unrolled they snapped into the armor of the two cards and sent them down, heads ringing. Stayne snorted at their uselessness and headed in, pulling out his sword. I was prepared to take action but Tarrant grabbed a model, with a little help from Mally, and blocked Stayne's attacks with it.

At one crucial point in the fast paced battle Tarrant was standing in a chair with a bottle of perfume at the ready, Stayne ready to shove the sword down his arms and into Tarrant's vulnerable stomach. I was prepared to jump in and drive the Vorpal sword through his own head, when Mally said critical words that would stain the future of Underland.

"Fun, Aluna!" She yelled, then abruptly covered her mouth, but it had been too late. The black-haired Knave turned his head towards me, looking me over again.

"Aluna?" He asked, his lips turning up in a sour, disgusting grin. I backed up, seriously fearful for my life. Tarrant needed my help no longer, as he did seem to be right at home with plenty of weapons at his disposal so when he yelled at me to run I gave a painful expression and with great reluctance forced myself out the door.

Oh, I hated to leave them there, in the state they were but I had no choice. I was the hope of the resistance against the 'Bloody big head' so I had to stay alive but I didn't know if I could do this without a friendly face. Where was Chess when you need him?

I sighed and sharply pulled back. Nearly flying in front of me a squad of armored cards ran past, no doubt searching for me. I had to squeeze into a small alcove to avoid them. I wrinkled my eyebrows together. There was no doubt in my mind that I didn't have enough skill to get out of this castle without getting caught. I felt the Vorpal sword hum in my hands, just begging to be put to use with all of my strength. What could I do?

Any ideas? I tried my secret self but there was no help from her end, I didn't even feel a hint of her snarky and reassuring presence. I began to panic as I dodged another group of glaring red cards. Then with a whispered cough that sounded like a desperate, sick Destiny I remembered the Bandersnatch waiting up top on the roof. I shot myself through a corridor right after a legion of armored cards had turned the curve to search for me. I carefully made my way to the roof. I was almost caught on the stairwell as the curtains of my dress caught on a hidden ledge. I tugged it, uncaring that it ripped a great deal in the front.

I groaned as I pushed the wooden doors opened. Thankfully the Bandersnatch was stilol there waiting on my return. It raised its head and whole body in happiness. I took a moment to wonder at its dog like qualities before scratching beneath its jaw. "I need a favor…" I crooned to it. It gave a growling, sort of mulling sound before pushing its head into my stomach. "I need to ride on the back of you, so I can get us both out of here." I muttered, nuzzling the surprisingly smooth hair of the Bandersnatch.

It bent down, allowing me full support with its paw so that I could get on to its back. "Thank you." I muttered, taking its invitation with another scratch to its noggin. As soon as I was on, and well supported the creature rose on steady feet causing me to clutch its fur tighter. As we busted through the doors, a moment of freedom for the Bandersnatch and then we were surrounded. The cards pointed their spears at us but the Bandersnatch merely gave a wheezy sort of laugh. I held the sword closer to me so I didn't cut the animal that no longer filled me with horror but instead with pride.

Just then out of the doors that I had not known but, now I saw they led off to the court and then out into the gates leading away from this horrific castle, Stayne stepped out. He pulled off his black gloves carefully. "Aluna…I should have seen it." He said smirking, with his ugly teeth nearly radiating the stench I could remember clearly. "Well it has been a long time, after all the last time you were here you were a small tyke, or you made yourself. All for that little Hatter boy. I guess he's not so little now…" he mused. He seemed to grow tired of babbling on about things I didn't obviously grow angry at. I guess it was common knowledge that I didn't remember what once happened.

"Give me the sword." He ordered, motioning with his surprisingly thin hands. Of course everything about him was thin, making the armor he wore much more bulky then they already made normal men. I forced myself to stragithen although it was a task of itself seeing as I was mounted on such a large creature.

"Come make me, Stayne!" I shouted at him. I saw his face curl up in a tight sour expression before he stopped right in the only hole in the ring of cards. Then he controlled what he could of his emotions, though I was sure I already knew what he felt.

"The Queen will be so pleased. She will take great pleasure in taking off that beautiful head of yours from your shoulders." He sneered again and the cards began to move in somemore, as if I was really distracted by his insult/compliment.

"And I'll feel pleasure when I slay the Jabberwocky, and regain the crown for the White Queen!" I shouted, nudging the Bandersnatch to move. It gave a loud roar, loduer and freeer then I'd ever heard it before it simply ran over the cards blocking the way to the gates. We didn't even stop as they tried to snap the gates shut on us. I couldn't help but laugh as the wind blew my long, free hair away from me, how happy this made me feel, to stand up to someone for once.

Why had I not spoken up sooner? Oh yeah, the Hatter. I deflated greatly. I hoped he was all right. I grinned as I remembered the Hatter's movements as he fought off Stayne. If he could do that with mundane items that were just sitting around, I wonder what he could do with a sword. I sighed in thought.

Here I was, a Lady of court falling in love with a milliner. What could I tell myself? I couldn't deny it, though it confused me. I hadn't known him long, maybe two days? Although time flowed different here, didn't it? Maybe it had been longer…who knows, because I know that I didn't all I knew is that I knew the Hatter before, and I knew him now. He was defiantly not the arrogant lords who cared more about how high they could get their noses. I sighed.

I suddenly wish I didn't feel this way. I knew that this didn't happen to most, finding love, but I'd seen what happens when they do. Look at Alice, she had to watch as Hamish, her crush, asked me to marry him. I'd never do that to her of course, just like I'm sure she wouldn't have done that to me either. I clutched the sword closer to me, running my finger over the writing without thinking about it.

"_The King and his men  
>stole the queen from her bed<em>

_And bound her in her Bones._

_The seas be ours_

_And by the powers_

_Where we will we'll roam."_

I grimaced as I seemed to zone out as the beautiful female voice whispered in my ear. She gave a giggle, something so mischievous and playful I laughed along with it, which was strange as my voice seemed to blend right next to it. As the words faded from my ears but not my mind I realized that the Bandersnatch had stopped. It was almost falling over. I glanced at our surroundings. We were surrounded by large bushes, just large enough to hide both our frames, which were really just medium sized trees. I smoothed myself off of the Bandersnatches back and scratched it behind the ears.

"You did wonderful!" I crooned to it as it fell to the ground in exhaustion. It was dark out again much to my shame. Had I really been so enthralled by a disembodied voice? I really shouldn't touch that name again. All it does is cause me to have blackouts. I hesitated, unsure of what I could eat here but I knew one thing, if I didn't get something to eat, I was going to fall over and pass out from hunger.

"Psssst!" I heard. My head swiveled around to find that noise. I found in a beautiful purple flower. It looked young, like a little baby, and all of its friends were behind it, giggling insanely. I crouched down beside it. "'Ou 'ant some food?" She asked giggling. I felt my eyebrows rizing in suspicion.

"I don't know, am I going to regret it? After all I don't know you or your friends." I told her quietly, fiddling with the small slip on my side. The little flower seemed to flush, or her cheeks became a darker purple than before.

"My names Penelope and you're theAluna. Everyone knows not to trick the Aluna, or you might not save us!" She nearly shouted the last part. Then she pointed her leaves to the side of her. I looked that way to see huge fruit. "If you place them on the ground and tickle them, then they'll open and humans, Upperlandians can eat that. I'm told it's really filling." She said and giggled again. I smiled at her and poked her fronds with one hand, making her giggle insistently.

"Thank you!" I told her, rising to go to the plant with weird fruit on. I heard, just as I stepped out of hearing range her speak to her friends.

"I helped _The Aluna_!" The other flowers started giggling and I smiled happily. Hopefully these flowers were nice, and not working for the red queen. I really don't want to die from food poisoning because I ate a fruit. Speaking of the fruit, it really was strange. The fruit was red where it connected to the green vine, and yet the red blended into purple. I carefully reached for the fruit but then thought better of it. If the flowers here were alive, then wouldn't the other plants?

"Um, excuse me…" I said, feeling mighty awkward but apparently asking was the best thing I could have done because the plants vines became looser around the tree it was holding onto. "Can I please have some fruit for me and the Bandersnatch? We've been traveling a really long time, and we're really hungry." I practically begged the plant. For a moment nothing happened and I began to deflate but then two of the vines unwrapped from the tree. They waved around for a moment before three of the large fruits were shoved into my hands.

I stumbled under the sudden weight, and the vine that grasped a small lock of my hair and squeezed. When the vine pulled away I realized that it had taken a small lock of my hair. I smiled, awkward before trying to curtsy over the large fruit. "Thank you!" I squeaked.

I moved away from the plant that was waving good-bye. I dropped the fruit in front of the Bandersnatch and its large tail began to wag. I hesitated before tickling one of the fruits on the sides. For another moment, where my stomach decided to gasp in anticipation, there was nothing. Then with a small sigh the fruit opened, showing me what looked likie a milky soup. I blinked and carefully took a bit of the liquid and the meat floating in it with my cupped hands.

Well here we go. I mind whispered to myself before taking a swallow of the meat and the liquid. Immediately I thought I'd just tasted ambrosia. It was the most delicious taste in the world, rum and the smell of gun-powdered meat. Where had I tasted those things before? We weren't allowed rum, as I was a girl, and that same reason I had never had anything heavier then salad. I lifted my head, smiling at the Bandersnatch. I reached over to the second fruit and tickled it.

Soon the Bandersnatch and I were stuffing the food into our mouths. I ate more then I'd ever thought I could possibly eat in a life time. Finally I sat back, the fruit not even half-gone. I pushed myself up to the Bandersnatch who had finished its fruit before me. It sniffed my leftovers, cautious, before looking to me. I giggled and nodded. It gave a playful growl before diving again into the fruit with less force then the first, so as not to jar me.

I sighed again, trying to get comfortable. The place around me was surrounded with the trees of before except now it was pitch dark. Thankfully my eyes had adjusted as it had gradually grown darker and darker. I felt oddly save with the Bandersnatch at my back, safe enough to wonder what I was doing again.

I don't know how many times I was going to go over this in my mind but I had to make a decision. Did I want to stay in Underland or go home-no not home but back to the people I actually remembered? Would it not hurt the people in Underland to know that I was 'Destiny' but I don't remember being Destiny? Bloody hell, I didn't even know who Destiny was in this world. Was I some kind of milliner, a person of royalty, a gypsy, or anything like that?

I didn't know at all, and I don't know if I fancy having to relearn my life. Though If I go back to Upperland was it really going to be any better? To pretend that this never happened would probably kill me by its self. I'd be continually pushed to men who could not stand that I had thoughts, that I wasn't just another pretty face to swing around and show off to other men.

There was so much to think about in this decision. I needed to think about whom it would effect, what it would affect, and about if deep down I wanted to stay or go. I know that I had to think about it truthfully, I couldn't lie to myself. I really hadn't liked my time in Upperland because I was always seen as a horrible example of the way a Lady was supposed to act.

I enjoyed being able to say what I wanted, and I can't stand the way they look at me for it. Their eyes already told me what they were to 'gentlemenly' to say. They thought I was the manure from a bull's buttock. I knew my language was crude but the way they looked at me, Hamish, my 'mother', and even Alice sometimes. My best friend sometimes thought I was weird, the way I couldn't stand to wear colors yet I hated that everyone else always wore beige and white.

I remember though the good times. When I was younger I would play around in the sand.—I halted that thought. I wasn't really a kid back then because apparently I grew up here…with Tarrant. I wish I remembered! I groaned and buried myself farther into the side of the Bandersnatch. The Bandersnatch moved so that it could curl around me. I smiled happily at it, scratching just right near its ear.

I wish I could remember what happened with Tarrant. It would make this choice so much easier. If I could remember things like who was Mirana? Was she really my daughter? Who did I have Mirana with? How old was she? How old was I? I sighed. I just want to remember, if I could then I wouldn't have to worry about this situation. If I could remember then the one thing that was holding me back from staying here with Chess, Mally, Mirana, McTwisp, the twins, The hare, and Tarrant Hightopp….

…..

_Aluna _Hightopp. I wonder how that would sound aloud. I smiled slightly but it was quick to morph into a frown. Since when did I turn into the girl twins from Upperland? I've never tried fitting my name with someone else's…though I have to admit it did sound quite nice didn't it…Aluna Hightopp…Luna Hightopp….Mrs. Tarrant Hightopp…

It was to this that I fell into a deep comfortable sleep against my new friend.

**Sorry that I forgot an author's note for the last chapter. Sometimes I get to excited about updating and just forget. Thank you all for the lovely reviews. I appreciated all of them, even if you didn't review, thank you for reading thus far. I really hope that you guys love this story.**

**Oh, for those that are interested, I have a sequel to my Pirates of the Caribbean stories in the works. If anyone wants to help me out with the name I would be very grateful. Also when I say in the works I mean I might lose interest at any time but I want encouragement. (lol) If anyone wants to lend me suggestions of what to do in the movie feel free to.**

**I await the arrival of Sherlock Holmes: A Game in Shadows with so much anticipation that I think my heart will burst when it finally hits shelves. **

**I love you guys and thanks for reading!**

**Question: What movies do you want to see Destiny in next?**


	13. My perfectly perfect day

"Aluna!" I jumped as I heard my name through my dream. I'd been dreaming of the Hatter, except he'd been younger.

"_Do you like it?" Tarrant asked me. He had little whiskers coming through his jaw and yet he was only a few feet tall. I smiled at the little boy, no older then sixteen. I myself had the body of a thirty three year-old, and slowly growing younger. I'd just met this boy, when I was coming to support my dear Mirana in the running for Queen of Wonderland. _

"_It's lovely, Mr. Hightopp." My bright red colored lips curled into a smile. I stood from the multi colored chair of the Royal Hatter's design. I stood in front of the mirror, to see the fabulous work Tarrant had designed. The hat was a stripped black and white, with a red veil cascading down my back. My pirate like ensemble contrasted deeply to the outfit but yet it blended well with my mask of black and white lace._

"_Thank you." He grinned at me and I remember thinking that I loved his little dimple in the right side of his cheek. Then he became serious, as much so as a sixteen year old could. He straightened his back and his hands went behind his tailored coat, holding something. I became curious, as was my nature._

"_Mr. Hightopp?" I questioned him. His grin turned nervous before he swung his arm out for me to take whatever was in his hand. I gasped, and smiled widely at the rose of purple and green in his hands. It had been sewn from silk and I could see the sewing scratches on Tarrant's young hands. "Oh, it's gorgeous!" I announced, taking it from his hands to look closer._

"_It's for you, your majesty." He was shy as he bowed again. "I should like to ask to take you to see my village." He announced his request. It was taking me many days to get used to the customs of this realm, but I knew this one. He was asking to take me to meet his parents in the fashion of the time. I eyed him up. He reminded me greatly of my Jack, except a Hatter and well….different generally. _

"_I should like to see the Hightopp's clan home." I accept, giving him a kiss on the long curls of orange that went well past his shoulders. His eyes turned colors, something else I was unused to. I tugged on his arm, ready to leave. I was unaware that I had shrunk to another age, twenty-nine._

_{Picture on photobucket account}_

The dream had been weird but I now had almost no time to worry about it because when I opened my eyes to the bright sky and the Bandersnatches fur, I also got an eye full of Bayard's muzzle. I giggled strangely and pushed him back. "Bayard?" I asked, questioning. My eyes widened as the unique situation, that had caused me to sleep on a Bandersnatch and the ground, ran through my head. I jumped up. "We have to get to the White Queen's castle!" I announced, taking the Vorpal sword, which had been resting on the ground, in hand and climbed up the Bandersnatch. The Bandersnatch rose with my same urgency.

Then we were off again. It didn't take long to let any bit of sleep I had fly away with the wind. I was going to be off, to the White castle after running from the Red Queen's knave. I hoped again (For how many times?) that the Hatter was okay. He had seemed capable of doing anything but that may have been the fact that I fancied him greatly speaking. I began to worry again, as Bayard, the Bandersnatch, and I made our ways to the White castle.

It had to have been a long time, though one could never properly judge time in Wonderland without a watch. The sun was close to the edge of the earth and while I was contemplating how exactly they told time that I got my first glance at the White Queen's domain. It was a beautiful white castle glowing in the sun as if made by the majestic marble of a temple. The white cascaded down to make a path of stone followed by the trees that had blossoms on them, flowing off of them and into the air.

I smiled at it as the Bandersnatch and Bayard took us to a halt before a figure of white that strangely stood out from the rest of the white. I dropped off of the Bandersnatch's back. To my surprise the man in front of me looked like a chess piece! It was a knight, with a spear and clothes but its head was exactly like a horse. He bowed low to me and I hesitated, unsure before motioning for him to rise.

He did so and motioned with his hands elaborately, telling me to follow him, so I did. My first glimpse of the castle was magical. The knight took me past all of the most beautiful things to gardens of white and green to a room with a glass roof shining light in on it. Then he stopped outside of humongous double doors. I blinked before pushing them open because they were no doubt the throne room of the castle. I stepped into the room, making my large body bend to get through the low, but wide, doors.

I gasped as I did so, because the room was beautiful with white marble, and whispering flowers on the walls around it. There were couples surrounding the white colored rug that I had to walk down. I walked cautious, holding the sword out so I didn't hit anyone. At the end of the rug I could just see the White Queen, with extremely beautiful but white hair. She sat on a beautiful and thankfully small throne at the end. She also wore a white dress, and it did look gorgeous on her.

To the left of her I could see a suit of armor waiting with its palms up. As I walked down the aisle I knew I looked out of place with my red curtains surrounding me, the rip causing my leg to show when I stepped with my left leg. I gently walked up the steps, my rather large form nearly dwarfing the Queen as she rose to meet me.

I smiled at her, for she was smiling at me greatly, showing her white teeth. "Welcome _back _to Marmoreal." The Queen curtsied a little and I smiled again.

I was going to bow but something, a whisper in the back of my mind, told me I shouldn't because I was royally higher than her. I hesitatingly held out the Vorpal sword.

"I believe that you need this?" I asked her, and her smile seemed to falter before she took it. The woman held it up straight, and stroked for a long moment, closing her eyes as she did so. Then she opened them tilting the sword and smiling at me. I smiled back because for some reason I just felt like I had a connection, as if last time I was here in Underland I had been exceptionally close to her, emotionally.

"The Vorpal sword is home again." The Queen announced, her voice carrying across the throne room. She moved away from me, nearly gliding on her feet, to place the sword in the arms of the waiting armor. "The armor is complete." She spoke as if in a dream.

Then she turned around, her eyes worried though she tried to hide it. "Now all we need is a champion." I knew why she was worried. I guess now that it had spread that I don't remember being here, everyone just assumes I'm not going to help them. I wonder what kind of Upperlandian would be so cruel as to not want to help a whole world to not be destroyed. Especially a world with so many kind, and mad people.

"Well, I'm here?" I said, awkwardly. I mean how do you assure someone that you want to help them? Then she smiled weirdly.

"You're a little…taller than I thought you would be." She admitted. I looked at the armor and then me.

"Yes, well blame it on to much upelkuchen." I told her, grinning. She straightened, smiling even more. She got an enlightened look upon her face. She held her hands out, which had never gone down to her sides once since I had seen her. It reminded me of someone that I couldn't really remember. The name seemed to be on the tip of my tongue as I could remember a red bandanna, lustful looks, and a flash of a tattoo of a sparrow over the horizon. I wonder why?

"Oh," She said, my short monologue was thoroughly ruined. "Come with me." She requested. I took her offered hand, a bit unsure as I was still bigger than her. Sure enough her hand only reached around three of my fingers. She proceeded to guide me through the castle, pointing things out. I realized that her tour was much more delicate than the Red Queen's had been though I suspect it was because she wasn't saying that the next door was a dungeon. Maybe that had been just because this queen seemed nicer then the last Queen I had been in the presence of.

Eventually we came to a pair of double doors. The Queen opened them with her hands and nearly glided in but that was just how she walked as I had found out earlier. She ducked fluidly as if it was expected and it was a good thing she did because the next moment a large pan of green sauce was thrown at the door. I automatically knew who it was, because he was one of the first creatures I had met in Underland.

"Is the March Hare here?" I asked, taking a tentative finger and having a taste of the soup. I swished it in my mouth and it was pretty good, but it was missing something in it. "It could use some sage." I announced.

"You're late for your soup, you wee besom!" The March Hare indeed exclaimed. I watched him for a moment as he jumped on his little hare feet around the kitchen like a natural. It took me a moment to realize that he possibly was a natural. He threw some sage for me, at the soup but I didn't feel like going back and tasting it again so I assumed that it was good enough now. He began chopping things while announcing 'chop' every time he actually did so.

I went on instead of turning to the soup, so that I could follow the Queen to a table filled with more peculiar things from all over Underland. She stood behind the small stove that headed a funny cone shaped thing. I kneeled down, and then sat when my legs decided they couldn't take that kind of stretching today.

"Hmmm. Let me think, Pishsalver…" She muttered to me, and then smiled kindly. She really was nice but there was something behind it that just kind of seemed like she knew something that I didn't. I guess that would happen though seeing as how I couldn't remember my own identity. Then she began to list of ingredents when she put them into the boiler. "A pinch of worm fat." She started with, shaking out some kind of powder into the boiler.

Then she put in 'urine of a horsefly' out of some kind of kettle, using her whole body to pour it as the spout was rather long. She went on adding things like buttered fingers, and three pennies from a dead man's pocket. Then she began talking about her sister. "My sister preferred Dominion over living things." She told me, sadly but I couldn't help but notice how she put the emphasize on sister. "Tell me…how did she seem to you?" She finally asked with a completely forced casual-ness to it.

"Perfectly horrid." I answered her. She smiled slightly at me but then went serious again. She made a motion with her hands meaning the Red Queen's head I'm sure.

"And her…head?"

"Bulbous." I informed her truthfully. She waved her hands around and again I got a flash of brown eyes and for some reason a tan Hatter. I screwed up my face at the weird sight and put it out of my mind, it was probably just nothing.

"I think that she may have some kind of growth in there." She told me, glancing down to add another peculiar ingredient to the mix then continued. "Something pressing on her brain maybe." She said then she grew serious again-after adding two teaspoons of wishful thinking to the mix. "However once a Champion steps forth to slay the Jabberwocky, the people will rise against her." I thought that was rather random, as it had nothing to do with the head of the red queen. I guess she just needed to vent out her feelings.

I nodded at her, knowing that she wanted a reassurance that I was going to be her champion. I may be unsure about what would happen to me afterwards, but I just couldn't let this world crumble because I was a coward. Who am I to tell someone that I won't save them merely because I am scared of death? I've never really been scared of it like other people but I have no idea why, it just seemed blank in my mind, as if I wasn't supposed to be scared of something like that.

I was brought out of my inner thoughts by the White Queen spitting into the boiler. She tapped her mouth with her fingers so that she could make sure her dark colored lips had no spit on them. Then she lifted her shoulder and smiled again, which I returned, happily. "That should do it." She told me, taking a weird spoon and filled it up with a transparent liquid from the boiler and held it out for me to take some of but instructed me to blow first. I blew first and then took all of it into my mouth. When I swallowed it was like a rainbow of colors flashed before my eyes.

Not a moment later I began to shrink. I had to hold the red, torn cloth to me as my whole body shrunk to its actual size. I felt a pressure that I had been unaware of until now give way as I settled into my short 5'5 form. The Queen who was strangely the same height as me, if not a little shorter than me smiled happily at me. "Feel better?" She asked me.

"Yes, actually, very much so." I answered, excited about it. "Thank you." She smiled before again giving out her hand for me to take. Once my hand was in hers she started towards the door, talking again. "There's someone here who wants to talk with you, but first let's clothe you." She said brightly and right outside of the door stood another chess piece person except they were a rook.

The rook bowed to us, swishing his arm out in a weird fashion so as to balance his large head with the rest of his body. "Fumant will escort you to your room for the night. When you are ready he will wait outside the door to show you your visitor." The white queen said while turning and floating off down the hall. I watched her dress but I could not see her feet at all, making me wonder if she really floated or actually had feet.

The man shuffled his feet and I smiled at him, looking away from the retreating form of the queen so that I could follow him again through the sparkling castle. We passed many different rooms that the queen had pointed out on our way here, expect one peculiar one. It had a beautiful cloth nailed into the door but it told a decorative story of a little boy and I smiled at it, even as we passed it. I wanted to ask the rook, Fumant, what the room held but I had no idea if it could speak. I felt rude because of the silence but I could not bring myself to ask him.

Together the stranger and I walked in silence until he stopped walking outside of a beautifully carved door in a grey marble hallway. To my surprise instead of merely stopping, he did a funny little march on one part of the hallway and then backed up into the wall right beside my door. I hesitated before curtsying to him. He hastily bowed as well before returning to his stony posture. I stepped towards the carved door and took hold of the ancient looking handle and scanned the door. It looked to have belonged to a queen. The rim was purple yet the door was a violent green color that I had not known existed until I had stepped into Underland.

The handle itself glittered in the calming light of the horizon with the white and red touch to it. I release the catch of the handle and opened the door slowly. It was like revealing the most beautiful room in the world. It had magnificently deep purple walls with curvy lines of green that matched the color of the rest of the room. The walls were a hall at first, with a bathroom door taking up space in the short hallway. To my surprise on the other side was a furnished kitchen.

I walked farther in, and saw the shelves, the wardrobe, and the bed, but I just couldn't believe that this wonderful room was mine. The large king size bed nearly wowed me to death. I was so intrigued with the room it took me a moment to see the crest on the sheets. It was a beautiful eye of a bright green, obviously foreign from both Underland, and from London. I noticed, as I ran my delicate fingers across the bed that the green reminded me of my own piercing eyes.

Yes, it defiantly looked like my eye with only the blue swirls around it, markings of some sort I guess. I tentatively, wary after the sword, placed my hand on to the blue eyebrow. The result was a sharp pain to my hand and I groaned as I was bodily dragged back into the world of myself.

I felt the world shake and my knees bend as they slammed down onto the marble with a force that could have broken a diamond. I clutched at my head as vision after vision shot through my head.

"_You've beautiful eyes." _

"_I've been told so many times." _

"_Is it a trait of your people?" _

"_No, it is my own, natural thing."_

"_Good evening," _

"_Good evening, I'm afraid Mary did not tell me your name."_

"_Sherlock Holmes." _

"_Tracy, you know how much I love you,"_

"_Oh, she won't cause any problems at all, I swear, _

"_But this is my Bachelor Party; it's supposed to be just for us guys!"_

"_Deal me in." _

"_I'm Tony Stark." _

"_Alessandra Holmes."_

"_What happened to you, Gibbs? I thought you were employed elsewhere or otherwise engaged." _

"_Aye, after the…incident. I did what you asked me, listening for news of Captain Cass but I heard another rumor. Jack Sparrow was in London, with a ship, and looking for a crew."_

"_Am not!" _

"_But that's what I heard. Fact is, I heard it from a man who heard it from a woman that this Jack Sparrow is traveling with a girl with a scar on her cheek, and bright unnatural green eyes." _

Every memory came back one by one. I could remember everything as if it had happened yesterday. My shoulders felt weighted down with the knowledge of all of the past decades and centuries. I didn't know whether my mind was laughing at me or screaming in pain but when the images began to show the future the pressure on my brain became too much. It was as if the pain stopped. There are no words to explain.

Then I felt horror as the pain was no longer just concentrated on my brain, but now on my body. I might have screamed but I was too busy relearning every past, present, and future that will ever be, is being, or already has been. I remember cursing at some points, and crying at others but there was nothing as painful as watching myself with the Hatter.

"_Must you really go?" The lisping Tarrant asked me, squeezing my small, de-aged hands gently._

"_Yes, unfortunately." I answered gravely. Thankfully my six year old body had no effect on my mind yet. "It is unavoidable, inevitable, inescapable, unthinkable, why it's-" I was cut off by a slightly saner Hatter. It surprised the present me, who was merely lying in the floor, the same position as I was in the future with one hand still touching the eye and the other clutching my head._

"_I'll miss you terribly, my Queen. Why, if you don't hurry back I might go mad!" The Hatter told the little me who smiled at him. _

"_Don't worry Tarrant! I'll be back soon, and then you can tell me what you wanted to, you know before Mirana interrupted with tea time." Six year old me seemed happy and now I could remember why. I'd liked the Hatter. We'd been best friends for a long time, his presence slowing my de-aging process but I could not avoid it any longer. I remember thinking right now that I wanted to confess to Tarrant and then he and I could become Mr. and Mrs. Tarrant Hightopp and be Hatter's. Mirana would be so happy to have a father again._

"_Then hurry back to me." Tarrant said softly, before bowing. He was just now turning seventeen and though it really pained me to leave him only a week after his birthday, I knew it was unavoidable._

"_Always."_

I was jolted out of the memory and into my present self. I couldn't tell if anything had changed, but it was now completely dark out, with the candles and strange Underlandian lights to brighten up the sky. I coughed once, and a breath of dust blew out of my lungs, as if saying I had not breathed for so long that a film of dust had settled over my lungs.

If I had been the same as five minutes ago, I would have been asking myself what happened, and panicking. Now? I think I'm going to skip around the castle-my daughter's castle! Oh it had been so long!

I twirled my body around in a circle, giggling. My giggles stopped abruptly when I stumbled, why that's peculiar. I looked down at myself but couldn't quite see what was wrong so I stepped up to the wardrobe and pulled the large doors of cherry wood open. I took a moment to gaze longingly at the familiar clothes and accessories of all kinds before looking to the mirror hanging on the door of the wardrobe.

"Beautiful." I muttered to myself in relieve. I was well besides the obvious. I was tan-ish with long straight black hair. I, to my embarrassment, had no clothes on, as they had been burned in the transformation from my present self to my well…present self. I turned around, so that I could once again get familiar with my body. It had been a long few years, cooped up inside the body of a teenager without any memories to guide me. It made you think about the saying 'you don't know what you have until it's gone'.

Finally, after I was done admiring myself, I jumped a little, too short to reach myself, and grabbed bathing clothes. Along with them I picked out a pair of thin, beautiful clothes. Thankfully I would now be able to wear whatever I wanted again instead of dress after dress after dress.

I took a shower, in the lilac and red bathroom for at least fifteen minutes brushing out my now much longer hair and curvier body. When I emerged from the bathroom I felt fresh which was really saying something seeing as I'd just changed bodies, and regained my memories. I walked into my room, taping a hidden panel on the floor. It caused a hole in the floor to open up from its hiding spot. I threw my dirty and unneeded curtains/clothes down the hole and turned to the bed. I desperately wanted to fall onto it and sleep, after all whose head wouldn't be hurting after that?

Alas, I switched it in for going to the kitchen only to stop. I hadn't been here for years. What made me think that there would be food in here? I guess that fruit I ate on the way here would have to be enough for my undernourished body. I sighed before turning back to my bedroom, and then to the wardrobe. The choosing of my outfit took much longer than usual. I wanted to look perfect for my reentrance to the world in which I loved.

So when my eyes met the cloth of the very same outfit I wore when I first met the Hatter my grin grew to match the Cheshire cat's. I pulled it out of the wardrobe and something fell to the floor. I paused, confused before bending down to pick up the cloth. To my surprise it was the flower of silk that Tarrant had given me. My soft smile went unnoticed but it sure made my heart beat faster. Poor Tarrant had to put up with me not knowing him at all.

I placed the silk flower on the side of the bed before slipping into the clothes of before. I took another moment to stare at myself in the mirror. I liked myself better this way. Before I had looked uncomfortable in the dresses, with to skinny of a body. It had been the fashion so of course my 'mother' had never let me eat more than a plate full of peas. Stupid little human. I smiled at myself as I let the skirts swish. Thankfully I had shorts on under the short skirt, allowing for movement without worry.

"My Lady?" I heard the rook's voice from before. I must have taken longer than he wanted to wait. I chuckled before grabbing my hat, and placing the mask on my face, oh how I had not missed this mask. I hesitated before laying it back down on the bed and settling for my top hat that Tarrant had made me. It was worn but I loved the colors and how it fit well on my head.

"I'm coming." I said softly, my voice different as well, with a beautiful tone about it and a slight accent that I was unsure about. I patted over to the door, shoeless of course before grasping the door and pulling it open. The rook from before was there waiting and I still didn't know who but he gasped. How? He has no mouth! The rook bowed low to the ground. So close I feared that he would just topple right over.

"Your majesty!" He said. I smiled and motioned him up.

"I'd like to be taken to the person who is calling for me." I stated, happy to actually know what I should say. Usually, I know, the queen would walk with a flowing grace, just like my daughter Mirana but I walked with a seductive grace. I knew this because I'd been told by many people, animals, and surprisingly planets. Sadly, I had to be shown the way to where the visitor was, even though I now remembered where most everything was.

The rook led me to a garden, the one of the white mist I believe. As he bowed me away I took in the long high shrubs that made up a maze of rows before I turned the corner and was greeted by the smoke from Absolem's hookah. I snorted, as the smoke ran up my nose smelling like tobacco and nicotine. "Absolem, I thought I told you to quit smoking?" I said, stopping in front of him. The mysterious mist broke away to show the blue caterpillar waiting for me, the hookah in his lips still.

"So you remember me now?" Absolem said in his deep drawling voice. It reminded me greatly of a hissing snake but I didn't tell Absolem that.

"Yes, I remember everything." I answered him. "Though the things that have just occurred seem rather fuzzy. I remember myself, Mirana, you, all of my past really." I pursed my lip in thought. Absolem released the Hookah from his mouth and proceeded to blow the smoke into my face. I coughed, rasping at the nasty taste of tobacco. "Stop doing that!" I shouted, brushing it away from me. He chuckled and I smiled lop-sidedly.

"Then who are you?" He asked me the question that just seemed to define Absolem.

"I am Aluna Destiny. Queen to every realm, time, and place." I told him, straightening my spine, so that I could seem as powerful as before. My powers activated slightly allowing the air and mist behind me to waver with power in the form of wings that I did not possess at the moment.

"So it would seem." Absolem chuckled. "It will be good to have you back." He took another breathe from the hookah but this time blew the smoke away before speaking. I allowed the pressure from my power to flow away into the air.

"I'm glad that I will be back. It was terribly uncomfortable not knowing why everyone treated me like they were my best friends." I muttered, but winking at him as I leaned against the mist, which I encouraged into a solid form for me to actually not fall through. Absolem didn't flinch at my show of power but only changed the Hookah into a new hand.

"I'm sure that your daughters will be happy that you are back. Now that they can neither take the crown, I wonder what they will do?" Absolem almost layed himself across the bush he was sitting on. I rolled my eyes.

"What are you talking about? I'm not getting anywhere near that crown again. They'll just have to fight it out I suppose. Besides that is what I told them to do. Granted, they were only supposed to battle for three years over who gets it." I told Absolem, before I swirled the mist into a liquid, grafewriut fruit to be exact. I took a delicate sip of it before smiling and taking all of the delicious liquid into my stomach.

"That sounds just like you." Absolem told me after a pause.

"Well, before I left I remember the two little girly's begging me to pass on the crown already." I told him filling up a plate of mist with food, as I changed the mist I was leaning on, into a seat with a mere flick of my wrist. "Besides, can you imagine me ruling over this land with just myself?" I shuttered as I stuffed my face with the filling food.

"You managed well by yourself." Absolem told me. I shook my head from side to side in denial.

"No, I had Aragorn for that. After that it was mostly just me guessing." I told him, using my empty hand to vanish the empty plate back into the mist that surrounded us. (Aragorn is another maybe pairing with Destiny from Lord of the Rings don't panic.) "Do you know how stressing that was for me? I thought the kingdom was going to fall right as I took the throne. I'm just lucky I could pull myself together in time to rule after his disappearance." I muttered the last sentence.

"You are…lying." Absolem called me out. I snickered at his disbelief.

"Okay, so what if I can take care of these people? I'm not going to. I have always spoiled my children and it's only fair that I don't have to choose which takes the throne for Underland." I told him, smirking at the sky.

"But you already have, haven't you?" Absolem took another breath from his hookah and I rolled my eyes as he called me out, breaking through my defenses with ease.

"Yes, but…" I tried to argue before just groaning. "You still know how to annoy me, Absolem."

"Naturally." Absolem chuckled to me then became serious. "So, do you plan to slay the Jabberwocky and return the crown to the White Queen?" It felt off to call my daughter that. I had always heard her to be the white princess. I don't remember ever having gotten used to it even when she won the battle against the red queen back during the 'days of Valor'. Days of Valor meaning when the two heirs fought over the crown.

"I did promise them that I would slay the jabberwocky didn't I?" I asked him, while also giving an answer.

"No one would hold that against you. You didn't even know who you were; much less what you were promising." Absolem argued right back to me. I nodded, showing my agreement with him.

"That is true, however I have been around and I have seen the way Iracebeth treats her subjects. She does not know how to treat people, when to say yes or when to say no. She kills without actually trialing someone, and she kills too many when other things could have been done." I explained myself.

"That is true." Absolem muttered. I shivered and muttered after a moment. "You had best keep the Vorpal sword close then." Absolem said. I glanced around, thinking I saw a shadow of someone standing there, listening but when I looked back to Absolem's bush he was gone. I muttered curses at the empty garden.

"Stupid caterpillar." I mumbled just to be mean. After all he always said 'Stupid girl' so why couldn't I call him stupid caterpillar? I giggled at the thought as I started out of the maze. It didn't take me long, as I'd made the castle with my own bare hands. I smiled at remembering that. It had taken a long time, and it had been a long time ago but Mirana was good at taking care of the castle as I could not see a problem with its beauty.

Iracebeth was another story. Her castle, I had made especially for her. Instead of keeping it the beautiful and pure castle that it had been when I had made it, my own daughter had defiled it with torture and killing. It made me so mad, and disgusted. But either way I looked at it, she was still my daughter and I did love her, so I couldn't just strangle her. So, maybe, if I take the crown back away from her, and give it to her sister then she will learn from it.

I rose from my seated position and started off. If I was going to help Mirana, I should probably have my faithful sword, Stern, back. I climbed up the steps, and back into the throne room, only this time through a side door. I halted when I walked in on Mirana talking with some of her court. I smiled sheepishly when they all turned to me, stopping their talking. Mirana smiled back, but now that I had my muchness back I could see the pain behind her lips.

"Mirana, why do you look so sad?" I asked her playfully. Her eyes seemed to enlarge as her eyes turned from shock at my appearance to disbelief that I had remembered. "It's terribly unlike a Queen to be surprised. I mean, did you really think I could forget _you_?" I asked her. There was a still silence before the people of the court started cheering for the 'returned monarch'! Mirana wasted no time in running at me, to receive a hug. I opened my arms and took my little darling into my arms. Well, not little anymore, not for a long time but she would always be my little one.

"Momma, do you remember me now?" Mirana asked me, no longer the smooth and graceful Queen that I had seen before. Instead I could just see my little Mirana in there with little white braids in her hair, playing around with her minuted older twin sister who had bright red hair from my side.

"Yes, and I am so happy that I do!" I announced with a smile. She squealed and spun out of my arms, announcing to the growing court.

"The High-Queen of Underland returns!" She shouted out to her subjects. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks even though I moved to stand in the lime light at the beginning of the stairs.

"Greetings." I said, smiling charmingly. I raised my arms and curtsied. They clapped so much I thought that the castle would come falling down on us. Thankfully the clapping died out before that happened. I hope they don't think that I'm going to give a speech now. "I am happy to be back, and I hope that I can only hope that you welcome me back kindly." I said, still smiling. They clapped again, making me glance at the ceiling.

Mirana thankfully saved me from having to elaborate by taking my arm and speaking to the crowd. "Thank you for the appreciation my loyal subjects." She said and they at once dispersed. I raised an eyebrow at the lessening crowd, but Mirana had regrouped herself and was now the floating angel that I had met her as. I rolled my eyes at my own description of her before grasping the hlt of my sword again. It gave out a pulse of light before molding to my palm. I gave the sword an adoring gaze before turning back to Mirana.

Now, I offered her my hand, that she had done for me not even hours ago. My stunning daughter took the offer and I began leading both of us out of the throne room. We didn't speak too much, which did not surprise me. Mirana had always been the one who was silent and well behaved. Well, most of the time. Sometimes she was a little mischievous child, pulling innocent pranks and joking with the other nobles.

Finally after a few minutes of walking we arrived at the balcony I had been searching for. I pushed the doors open and outside I could see the sky, a telescope, and seats on the balcony surrounded by plants. I lead her into the balcony, releasing her hand so that I could close the door of the balcony. It was cold outside but strangely I didn't mind it too much. I had traded the warmth of the candles in the castle for the fresh air of the outside environment.

We sat there a few minutes, and I could tell that Mirana was jumping to ask me questions so I sighed and pulled up the chair to look at the view while she talked away.

"Go ahead." I told her once I was comfortable again.

"Why did you forget us?" Mirana asked right away, bold about her questions. I rolled my eyes but answered her question anyway.

"The rule I made, where people coming between worlds have to forget what happened in their world kind of tripped me up. I regret the rule, but it still has to be done because I can't have people being shoved in a loony bin just because they want to tell someone about their experience." I explained to her. Mirana nodded thoughtfully.

"How was it? Upperland?" Mirana asked me, curious.

"Horrible. Those people have no imagination and the only thing they think of is money. The women there get married for power, children, and money. That may be their way of it but it disgusted me. I have always married for love." I clarified again. She looked offended that anyone would marry for anything but love. I was glad I taught her to enjoy life instead of always being uptight and noble. Of course her father had to come in somewhere.

I stared out into the cold, fresh night and frowned when I saw movement. "Do you still have that peace vow?" I asked her, though I already knew her answer.

"Of course." She answered just the way I thought she would. I hopped out of the chair and to the telescope, just as Bayard came onto the balcony.

"Your majesties…" He started but I was already looking through the telescope to the approaching figures. I know I must have squealed at the sight that met my eye. There was my beloved Tarrant. Oh I hadn't thought of his reaction yet! I'd missed him so much. But then I frowned. I can't believe my other self had left Tarrant alone in that castle to deal with the harsh punishments of Iracebeth! But by the look of it Chess had come to his rescue, and Mally's. Good Lord, is that Bayard's family down there and the twins? I smiled again, wider.

"We have company." I announced, moving aside so that my pale daughter could see through the telescope. As her eyes focused on the quickly approaching group, Mirana's mouth widened into a smile to fit mine. I was grinning from ear to ear, not unlike Chess but Mirana had that delicate smile of hers that I just loved on my daughters face. She nearly flew out to meet her returning subjects but I saw Bayard on two feet, trying to see who was approaching us so I took a moment to pull the telescope from its holdings and point it at our visitors. "Have a look Bayard." I told him.

He took a moment to realize who was down there before he barked his wife's name and started running off through the castle so that he could get there in time. I took one last glance at the hair that I could see from here without the telescope and started off through the castle with lightning speed.

I couldn't wait to see Tarrant's reaction. I was still much smaller than him, but now I was my proper size again, with not an inch to spare. He will hopefully be happy with me this way. After all he did first know me this way, not as an Upperlandian but as an Underlandian. I almost tore through the castle walls so that I could make it to greet Tarrant and the twins, not to mention Mally. I wonder why she hated me so much?

I made it to the stairs where Mirana was standing and Bayard was pouncing down behind me from where I had nearly bowled him over to get here. I gasped for breath while Mirana merely took in little delicate pants. I had a moment to envy her delicateness before the group came into view, or to me Tarrant came into view.

The Mad Hatter, as he's known, looked different to my eyes then when I was simply human. Now that I was myself again I could see all of the little imperfections that just made the Hatter…flawless. His clothes were a dull blue, which was better than the brown one that he had worn when I had first 'met' him. I only hoped that I could make his clothes brighter, to match his hair. I smiled when his pale skin, with so many scars, came in to view as he reached the outside walls. Soon I would be able to see those emotional eyes and the hat. Wait….where was his hat? I saw Chess behind them and smiled when I realized he had the hat on his little furry hat.

Mirana nudged me forward a step and I glanced back at her. I shivered when I saw the glint in her eye, that mischievous one that signaled that she was going to be meddling. I moved forward as the white queen stood back so that the twins and Chess could talk to her, giving Tarrant and I a bit of privacy in our reunion. I could see in his green eyes a happiness but also a sadness.

"Tarrant!" I giggled, nearly jumping him as I hugged him. His arms hesitated only a moment before they wrapped around my waist. I hugged him tighter, taking in the feel of his clothes against me and that beautiful, fiery hair scratching against my cheek. I pulled back just enough to talk to him but sadly his arms fell away. Oh, he still didn't understand. Well, that can be fixed soon. "I thought they were going to surely…" I started and the happy Tarrant interrupted me with the same thought.

"Yes, so did I! But they didn't, and here I am, still in one piece!" He giggled at the end but my eyes were locked on to his green ones. "And I'm rather glad about that, now that I'm seeing you again. I would have regretted not seeing you again, especially now that you're your proper size again." He smiled proudly and I glanced at Mirana who was giving a kiss to the twins but the moment I glanced away he began having a maniac moment that I couldn't blame him for. "And it's a good size. It's a great size. A right proper Aluna size." I took his face in one hand for a moment.

"Tarrant!" I interrupted his voice as he began to panic. No, I couldn't blame Tarrant I can only blame that adrenaline oh and the mercury….I silen tly handed off the sword, Stern, that I had completely forgotten was in my hand to Mirana.

"Size. Fez." He fizzled out before shaking his head and smiling again. "I'm fine."

"Where is your hat?" I finally burst. I wanted the Hatter to be complete and what is a Hatter without a hat? Tarrant began looking around in confusion as well before Chess whooshed in with the Hat. I nodded to Chess and he rewarded me with a brush of his fur over my cheek before he suddenly left. I smiled softly at the remains of him that swirled around in a mist before I turned back to Tarrant, a twinkle in my eyes now.

"Yes, it's good to see you again, Tarrant. I've missed everyone here in this great big castle." I said motioning to the white castle behind us that was, no matter the darkness, shining. Tarrant's eyes faltered for a moment.

"Missed everyone…." His eyes became painfully hopeful and I could see Mirana encouraging everyone to follow her away from here but I paid it no mind. "Does that mean….?" The Hatter seemed to search for the answer in my face but I continued smiling, only wider.

"Tarrant, I remember." I announced in a bubble. I was just so happy to remember him! Tarrant's eyes seemed to get larger and suddenly his clothes sprang to life, his hair a bright light of fire in the moonlight and his arms wrapped around me. I squealed as I was tucked into a strong, clearly muscled chest. I giggled as he twirled me around in a strange, wild dance that was really just Tarrant trying to waltz in his excitement. Then he seemed to remember something and froze. I froze as well but out of puzzlement. Tarrant pulled away from me for a moment to bow.

I rolled my eyes and took his hand so that I could drag him through the castle, chattering all of the way. "It's so good to be myself again, do you know how weird it is to know yourself, but not really know yourself?" I asked him not leaving room for an answer as I tried to remember in my haste where another balcony is. I wanted our reunion t include the dreaded balcony scene. I mean I loved the night air, the freshness but standing out there was much to public, yes….yes it was much to public. I didn't know that I was muttering to myself until I heard Tarrant giggle behind me.

"Just as mad as before." He giggled, telling me in a voice that nearly broke with happiness. I was just so happy to be myself, and that this made Tarrant happy as well. That was all I needed to know. What other reason would he be so happy if he didn't feel the same as me? I finally pulled open a pair of balcony doors, my hand still clasping his in mine and he didn't seem to mind. I slowed down now as I pulled the very willing Tarrant into the balcony.

"Oh it's so lovely here…" I muttered as I released Tarrant's hand so that I could walk to the edge of the balcony and stare out at the open land. It was just so gorgeous. But I could also see a board, not unlike a chessboard out there, just where Mirana's land turned into Iracebeth's land.

"Yes, but not as lovely as you." I heard Tarrant say from beside me. I looked to him in surprise and smiled at the blush painting his cheeks. He was now fiddling with something that was hidden from me inside of his pocket. He had removed his hat from his head for some reason, one I could not fathom since he loved that hat. I stared into his green eyes that were slowly bleeding into a beautiful and bright red color. Oh I knew that color well, but Tarrant had never known that his eyes changed to that color when he looked at me. I remember the first time it ever happened actually. He'd been about seventeen and he'd brought me roses.

It was a lovely memory but I didn't need to get lost in the past when Tarrant was here right now. "Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?" He asked me, mischievously. I knew it was a last test for me.

"Because there is a b in both and an n in neither." I answered him. He smiled before frowning at my answer. I giggled at him as he tried to puzzle out my answer. When he finally realized what I meant he giggled loudly, even placing a hand over his mouth in an attempt to mask his amusement.

"You really have returned." He said, and I could hear the satisfaction behind his heat inducing Scottish burr but then he frowned. "You know what tomorrow is, don't you?" He asked me. It was my turn to frown as I looked at the distant chessboard.

"Yes," I answered him, tired. "Frabjous day. I remember writing it." I muttered. I should have never made that oraculem now everyone knows what's going to happen and I can't change it without a big uproar. Tarrant sat his hat down on the table that I had not bothered to notice before.

"You know that you will have to choose between your daughters, don't you, my queen?" Tarrant asked me. I nodded while looking again to his beautiful face with the high features that were outlined in pink for my enjoyment. I saw him fiddling with that something in his pocket again but I ignored him and smiled sadly at him anyways.

"I have already chosen." I answered, leaning down on the banister. "It has become clear to me who is meant to rule Underland, and who is to cruel to be a leader of any kind of people." I told him. He nodded in understanding and there was a thick silence hanging over us. "It could be much worse…" I finally muttered. I could do this…I was going to confess my feelings for the Hatter and get it over with. Tarrant seemed to jump at the sound of my voice. He must have been thinking pretty hard about something. My mumble seemed to resolve something in his own mind because he turned to me, with his back straighter then it already was, which I didn't know was possible.

"Destiny…" He started, and I turned to face him fully like he had done to me. This made him falter but it made my confusion heighten.

"Yes, Tarrant?" I asked him, trying to encourage him to tell me. Really I was just trying to put my confession off and onto another day.

"I…I…" He tried, faltering and his eyes turned from the beautiful red into a swirl of dangerous yellow and red which meant he was trying to gather up his words I suppose. I'd never really seen this color combination in his eyes before. Finally he blurted what he wanted to say out. "I'm in love with you."

My breath was squashed from my lungs as his eyes turned back to red. I hardly noticed because my heart was being nearly wrenched from my chest with how fast it was beating. If it didn't slow down I would probably have a heart attack but I could care less. Tarrant had told me he loved me! But that wasn't even the best part.

"A-and," He continued taking out the thing that he had been constantly toying with in his pocket and all air left in my struggling lungs was gone as he moved down onto one knee. I could feel a twitch in my eye and I had to remember to breathe as he took one of my hands and began speaking again. "You aren't too big for me anymore, or too small! I know that I'm half-mad but I love you and I have Mirana's blessing so…I was hoping you might like to…" He stuttered but then he seemed to brace himself before his words took on the deep Scottish burr that I loved so much. "Will you, Destiny, become my wife?" He asked, straight and true making my insides melt.

My heart beat wildly and I couldn't control any of my reflexes. Slowly, I felt my emotions return to me full force. I squealed, like an over excited fan girl who just met Johnny Depp and literally slammed into the Hatter. "Yes, yes, yes!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I calmed down enough to take his beautiful face in my hands and smile at him. "I love you." I told him forcing all of my emotions into those three words. They had to be the best words in all of the English language.

The Hatter seemed to freeze, because for a moment we were still, nothing happening with just my happy face, and the Hatter's blank, hopeful face. Then without a moment's hesitation Tarrant came back to life and started swinging me around in a circle. I clutched onto him and nearly screamed as I felt bile coming up. "Tarrant!" I squealed again, afraid that with his strength he would fling me across the balcony and off the side of the castle. I smiled and laughed with Tarrant as he sat me down sheepishly. I felt so alive, like all of my cells were fighting against each other and it just made me feel so alive.

Tarrant took my hand and slid the ring on. I stared at the beautiful ring that just said Tarrant to me. It was made of a simple metal with different colored gems incased in the silver band. I giggled and through my arms around Tarrant, so that I could kiss him. He did not freeze this time. He was quick to wrap his arms around me, leaving one of the hands on my lower back and the other reached up to tangle in my long hair. My top hat managed to fall to the floor but I didn't pay attention to it as I opened my mouth to receive Tarrant's roving tongue.

We were parted, startlingly by a cough from the balcony door and I nearly growled as I looked to see who had interrupted us. To my fear it was Mirana. Oh, don't get me wrong I didn't fear her in the way that she might not except that Tarrant and I were to marry. I feared that she was going to explode with excitement over getting to plan a wedding for us. I gulped as she walked forward, that strange glint in her eye.

"Come! We need to prepare everything, the ball, the feast, the reception, and the vows! Oh there is so much to do!" She nearly screamed for everyone to hear. I gulped again as she wrenched me away from Tarrant and starting toward the door. I rolled my eyes back to Tarrant who was still standing there confused.

"I'll see you on the Frabjous day, my love!" I yelled back to Tarrant giddily. Mirana was still chattering away wedding plans at me. I didn't bother listening, because I didn't want a white wedding. I wanted a colorful wedding; although a white dress wouldn't be completely terrible. Maybe a piece of lace for every shade that Tarrant's eyes change. Or better yet, I can have Tarrant make the dress. He has always been able to make the dress that just says who a person is! Yes-

"Momma?" I heard. It jerked me out of my daze and I smiled at Mirana's worried face. She brightened and then opened the door behind her, which just happened to be my own room. Mirana didn't bother to walk in, but took me by the shoulders. "Be sure to get some sleep mother, we don't want you falling asleep while fighting the jabberwocky." She said, smiling again. I nodded but before I let her go I took her face in my hands, staring straight in to her eyes.

"My little baby's growing up." I said, kissing her forehead lightly. She smiled and placed my forgotten hat back on my head. I smiled at her. "I'm so proud of you, and your father would be to." I told her softly. Her eyes softened farther then I could have thought it possible but it happened. I released her face to walk into my room. The door closed behind me without being pushed but I didn't even flinch. Instead I took a flying leap onto the bed. I jumped on it in joy for a few times before settling. I was so blissful that I could go into cardiac arrest at any moment. I can't believe that Tarrant had proposed to me. It wasn't something that I had ever pictured him doing really.

I had never actually pictured the moment of the proposal. I'd pictured the wedding, the babies, and even the not aging. I don't but the way he had proposed had seemed like Tarrant. I don't know why, because really he'd asked the age old question and I'd loved it, but it didn't seem like the common run of the mill proposal. Maybe it was because I loved the man who was proposing to me? Yes that had to be it.

I giggled to myself, a sign of madness I'm sure, before climbing under the covers, just as I was, and burying myself in pillows. It didn't take long before I was asleep again.

**Well. I've actually just finished writing this story so the next chapter will probably be up soon. I don't know why but I felt driven to finish writing the story soon. Lol I'm not sure but I think that this may be the longest it's taken me to write a story. Thank you to sashaxh for answering the question I posed last chapter. I still want to know what you guys want to see Destiny in! **

**So far it's up to Ironman or Sherlock Holmes but I'm curious to see what you guys want. Maybe Pirates of the Caribbean: The fountain of youth? Let me know! I'd love to hear from you guys! Thanks for reading!**


	14. The End to the Big Bad Monster

When I woke up, it only took me a moment to gather where I was. I sat up in bed, and the covers and pillows seemed to protest the lack of heat they were now getting. I rubbed my eyes and tried looking around for what woke me, and I found it in the flowers growing on the balcony of my window. I sighed as they continued to sing, not unlike birds. That was new. I hadn't been woken up this early in…years. I groaned and flopped back on the pillows, determined to fall back to sleep but I was stopped when the flowers pitch rose higher.

I groaned and pushed the covers away so that I could slam the double windows open and glare at the flowers. "What. Are. You. Doing." I ground out and the flowers seemed to come up short. I'm sure I didn't look my best but I didn't care.

"U-Um...It is a flower custom to sing on the morning of a battle. We are morning bells…" One of the larger flowers told me. I just wanted to pick its little petals off.

"Yes well, you better move to a different balcony because I don't wake up earlier then nine. So hold it in or I'll move you somewhere else." I slammed the doors back and flopped back onto the bed. But no matter how I moved or laid I couldn't get back to that perfect place that I had fallen asleep in. "I'm going to murder those flowers." I gripped as I threw back the covers again. So again I jumped out of the now cold bed but this time I opened the wardrobe. I opened it up and my eyes caught on the mirror and my long, loose hair.

The black strands looked like a hoard of rats lived inside of it. I turned back to the inside of the wardrobe and began pulling drawers open until I found a beautiful comb, which would work on my hair. I began brushing and brushing and brushing my long hair. It made me feel sort of like Rapunzel except my hair wasn't golden, or used to drag people into buildings with either. I smiled at my own lousy joke before replacing the comb in the correct drawer. (The third one down) Now I began stripping my clothes, and while I pulled the white shirt over my head I stopped. What was glittering in the light?

I pulled the white shirt back down and held my hand up and there was the ring. I grinned as the memory of last night flew back in my mind. I can't believe I forgot, even if I'm not a morning person I should have remembered something like that shouldn't I have? I twirled around again, happy. Well, I couldn't leave my hair down now can I? The married or engaged people have to wear their hair up, so that they don't attract other men. To keep it up I put my top hat on as well.

I started searching in my closet, trying to find something that would look nice on me. I huffed when I didn't find anything but then I found something awesome. It was armored enough that it would protect me if I slipped up with the Jabberwocky, but not bulky enough to embarrass me when I walked.

I began slipping it on, one piece at a time and when the brown leather and silk finally sat right I only had to move around a little, so as to make sure everything was right. When I had looked at every possible angle I looked to the sun outside, that had long since risen before sighing. We would have to gout soon but I just wanted a close look at the sunrise before every warrior or man with a weapon made their way to protect the castle. I jiggled the doors to the balcony back open and I winced as I saw the pretty flowers were no longer open but had retreated into their buds. It made me mad at myself for a moment before I let it pass.

I walked to the edge of the balcony and couldn't help but sigh at the beauty of it all. It really was quite a beautiful sight, the sun over these remarkable lands. "Aluna…" I heard. I jumped and swiveled around to see who said my name but I found nothing but air. "Up here, stupid girl." I heard again and I looked up and what I saw was Absolem there in a cocoon. I rolled my eyes at his grand entrance.

"So that is what you went off to do, become a butterfly?" I asked the caterpillar. He chuckled and continued to weave himself farther in to his little cocoon. I sighed and sat down on the bench, looking out as the people began to mass in the courtyard.

"Are you frightened?" Absolem asked me, as blunt and straight-forward as he always was with things.

"Of course, who wouldn't be?" I answered honestly. "It's almost like the kraken again, except…not." I muttered to myself, clutching the sword, Stern to me. Mirana must have known that I would come out here to the balcony because she had left it on the bench for me. Of course, I almost always used to come out here when I did wake up.

"Yes, you'll be fighting another monster for the sake of your loved ones…." Absolem answered. He must have been weaving like mad because his whole face was almost covered. I sighed.

"Yes, let's just hope this one ends better than the last time." I muttered, sighing as well when I could only see a little of his face. "I hope to see you in your next life." I told him.

"Fairfarren, Aluna." He bid me adieu before moving his face a little and suddenly the entire cocoon was still. I sighed and stood up so that I could touch the beautiful membrane.

"Fairfarren, Absolem." I muttered back before starting off on my journey back through the castle, and to the courtyard. The whole time I couldn't help but think of the battle to come. It was finally time to slay a jabberwocky. I'd never actually slayed the Kraken, I'd just taken that painful leap and it had all went downhill from there. Thankfully I was saved from Davy Jones' locker but I'll never forget those days I lost to the locker. I shiver now just thinking of the loneliness and how my mind had slowly bent towards insanity.

I clutched Stern closer as I finally made it to the courtyard. To my surprise, there waiting was everyone. Apparently I was late. I smiled as I stood beside my daughter but really my eyes were searching for that one person in the crowds that I refused to go into war without. Just as I thought that I wasn't in fact the last one to arrive I spotted the Hatter in all of his finery. His coat was a brilliant blue, his hat shining with love and care, matching his eyes as the fiery red depths locked with mine. I almost missed the kilt he was supporting around his legs. Well, he is slightly Scottish isn't he? It would only make since that his war gear is Scottish.

"Aluna…" He muttered when he reached me. I smiled and moved into his open arms, in front of every person, plant, and animal in the white kingdom. "So it wasn't a dream?" Tarrant smiled, I could feel it on my hair as he was pressing his face into it.

"It was a dream, I'm afraid I've joined you in it." I answered, moving my face from his muscled chest so that I could connect my red lips with his naturally pink ones. Oh, his kiss just took my breath away. I heard cheering in the background and someone announcing to the people that 'the high-queen has chosen a suitor at last!" but I paid them no mind as my Mad Hatter wrapped me in his arms tight. To my distaste we had to pull away from each other for that stupid thing called air that all biotic things need.

I chuckled and smashed my burning face back into the Hatter's chest for just a moment, so I could smell the pure Hatter smell once more. Then I stepped out of his arms and whistled. It took a moment, in which I'm sure many people were wondering what I was doing before there was a loud roar, followed by the Bandersnatch turning the corner. A few of the people moved back in surprise and fear but the mighty beast came to a halt right in front of me. I chuckled at it, and made sure to give it a good scratching before I pecked the Hatter's lips.

"Will you help me up?" I asked the Hatter whose eyes were still red. He nodded and nearly circled my waist in his hands. After only a moment of preparation he lifted me up and onto the rough fur of the Bandersnatch. I smiled down at Tarrant. "Thank you." I told him. He giggled and bowed, taking his hat off with a flourish to do so then putting it back on with the same amount of embellishment.

I watched as Mirana used a step latter to get up upon her own horse. It was taken away by two monkeys, not unlike the ones that my Iracebeth has been. I felt a small pain in my heart for my daughter. How had I let her go down such a path? No, I shouldn't think about it too much or I'll start blaming myself.

"Let us start off." The White Queen announced to her subjects that lined up to let us through first. I smiled at them as I rode on top of the Bandersnatch and I have to tell you the Bandersnatch was just as hard to ride as before. Alas, the appearance of my riding on this large beast had to put heart into the doubting people of the white castle.

I sighed as we started off on the long ride. There was very little talking as it turned out. We talked to each other a little at the beginning but the closer we got to the chessboard that I had seen from my balcony the tensions rose. Especially for me and my daughter I am sure. We were going to challenge our own dear relative. I couldn't believe that I was really going through this. I'd never had such a problem with one of my dear daughters. Iracebeth used to be a sweet little child, granted her head had been a little large. I'd loved her just as much as her twin (fraternal) and I still love her despite what she's done.

Before I knew it the pressure of the tense atmosphere hit a peek as the paw of the Bandersnatch hit the first piece of the chessboard. I didn't know how I was going to deal with the tension as everyone began to fall in line. The warriors behind us fell into place, just as if they were real chess pieces and Mirana, Tarrant, the March Hare, Bayard, and all of my friends were ahead of the warriors. Despite this all of our eyes were glued to the red armored cards ahead of us. I slide off of the Bandersnatch and stood next to Tarrant as the White and Red queen's meet in the middle.

The silence around the battle field was so silent that we could hear everything that came out of the two queen's mouths. "Hello, Iracebeth." Mirana greeted.

"Hello, Mirana." Iracebeth bit back not unlike a child would greet someone who told them no. I sighed at her tone though. My heart dropped a little at this. I really had wished, in my subconscious that they could work this out without fighting.

Suddenly the white rabbit blew the trumpet of battle and started proclaiming the official words. "On this, the Frabjous Day, the Queens Red and White shall send forth their champions in the _last _attempt to for the crown. The champions shall battle on the half of the queens and shall the best for Underland win!" The rabbit preached. I sighed and I felt my dear Tarrant's hand grasp mine in comfort. I squeezed his hand and it squeezed mine right back.

"Oh, Racie…we don't have to fight." My dear Mirana tried once again to end this peacefully. I smiled softly at this and I squeezed the hand in mine and the Hatter turned to smile at me, and I smiled at him as well.

"I know what you're doing." The Red queen said, and I sighed. She must have gotten my sense of paranoia because that sounds like something that I would assume when anyone talks to me and sure enough when she spoke again I could see it there. "You think you can blink those pretty little eyes and I'll melt, just like Mummy and Daddy did." She snarled and her glaring eyes turned to me. I didn't flinch merely stared at her silently. It was not my battle to wage.

"Please." Mirana tried again, desperate and she held her hand in hopes that her sister would understand and I hoped that she would take it.

"No!" She suddenly screamed and stamped her foot like a little child. "It is my crown! I am the eldest!" She argued and Mirana pulled her hand back and I could almost see the disappointment and sadness on her face. Iracebeth turned from Mirana and shouted out. "Jabberwocky!" She screamed at the top of her large lungs. There was a great shifting in the red armored cards before they moved out of the way for the Jabberwocky.

Mirana and the Red queen moved back from each other, never taking their eyes off of the other. I waited and watched to see my adversary. I swear I almost started running when what I thought was a rock began to crack and wings started unfurlying from the rock it was sleeping on. As the wings jerked away from the rock so did the large, mean head with large teeth, red eyes, and a bony figure. I shuttered just seeing it from this far. It gave a large roar and I winced, causing Tarrant to place an arm around me in comfort.

"I think I'm going to cry." I muttered. "It's impossible to slay that thing." I groaned as it began shaking its tail lose from where it was coiled around the rock.

"Only if you believe it is." Tarrant whispered to me but his eyes stayed on the large predator before us. Suddenly the Jabberwocky jumped from its rock perch and onto the ground making it a great distance to the chessboard in that one leap. I watched as it used both its hind legs, and its wings to walk to the chessboard. Its eyes met mine and I tried not to show my fear.

"Sometimes I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast." I told the mad hatter beside me. He tightened his grip on my hand before answering me.

"That is an excellent practice." He answered and as the Jabberwocky seemed to gain its footing the Hatter's voice turned into its burr. "However, just at the moment, you really might want to focus on the Jabberwocky." He answered. I shivered again at the burr and took my eyes away from the Jabberwocky just long enough to catch the yellowish green eyes of Tarrant that was still locked onto the Jabberwocky.

The Jabberwocky rashly pushed trees out of its way to come to the chessboard and I weakly chuckled at Tarrant's answer. "Where's your champion, Sister?" The Red Queen asked as the Jabberwocky made a large roar behind her. The red armored cards couldn't seem to get out of the beasts way fast enough. I grimaced before releasing my fiancée's hand to walk forward with my usually swagger.

"That would be me." I announced, with my head held high. Iracebeth's breath seemed to shorten.

"Mother?" She asked, her eyes widening and I felt the pain in my heart again at her expression. I felt so bad for doing this to her.

"You've gotten out of hand, Iracebeth. This isn't how I raised you and if I have to fight a big bad monster to punish you then so be it." I told her strongly. I had to remind myself that I did not need to forgive her no matter how wide her big black eyes got.

Even the Red queen and the nasty, vile, disgusting knave moved out of the way for the clumsy Jabberwocky. I moved forward to meet it. "Hello, jabberwocky." I growled at it.

"Hello, bearer of the Vorpal one." He growled back. I shuttered as its large tongue stuck out. With a snap I started the battle, slicing the tongue from its mouth. It shrieked loudly and I heard the multiple gasps but I groaned when the tail pushed around and knocked me down. I grimaced and turned back over, so that the foot it aimed at me. The claw just brushed me but I rolled up onto my knees so I could slice at the visible ribs. It moved back before the blow could sink in though.

I swerved around again, just to miss a purple lightening that the dragon like Jabberwocky belched out at me. I thanked God that the bolt did not hit me because just from two feet away I could feel the plasma coming off of the bolt. I took a large breath before stabbing forth again, ducking a claw and ducking under the Jabberwocky's crusty body making it turn around, just to allow me slice off some of the long pieces on the back of its head.

I screamed as suddenly one of his slices hit home and I was smashed far away against ruins that had at once been some kind of temple but my head shook too much for me to remember. I coughed loudly and tried to get up, stumbling a little at first and the Jabberwocky was quickly approaching. I grew dizzy as it got closer but suddenly I heard "Aluna!" Before the Jabberwocky reared its head and turned around.

"The Hatter's interfering! Off with his head!" Iracebeth screamed. I saw the masses of warriors begin to merge together to fight but I needed to pay attention to the Jabberwocky which now turned back to me. I took off up the stairs of the ruins and tried to think of a way to kill it. I needed to just get to its head, which would make it easier to kill that way, as I can't find a way to its heart. I huffed and huffed, trying to hopelessly outrun this monstrosity. I ran into problems with stairs that had been torn down but I jumped over them.

I groaned as I stumbled again as I almost missed the stairs as the Jabberwocky shock the stairs with its weight. I made it to the first floor with a lot of columns and I tried to hide behind one. I couldn't hear or see the Jabberwocky anymore, only the cries and groans of battle. I just glimpsed the Hatter fighting with Stayne but I looked away so I could try and find the Jabberwocky. I glanced around, trying to find it, and I just noticed a pair of stairs before I suddenly heard the Jabberwocky screech behind me. I turned away from the column just in time as its claw wrenched the column away from the floor.

I screamed and hid at the bottom of another column, gasping for breath. At the same time a lightning bolt belch shot off except this time he moved it along through the floor. I squeezed my eyes shut as the bolt slammed into my column. Thankfully the column held up. I used this moment to open my eyes and run past the Jabberwockies back to the stairs I saw before. It quickly saw me, and swished around, taking me down with the spikes on its tail. I groaned on the floor but got right back up despite the pain in my back.

I climbed up the stairs, dodging pieces of columns that were being thrown at me. I ran and ran up in a twist on the stairs, slowing down as my stamina lessened. I tried to push myself farther and farther. The jabberwocky made it a head of me and slammed into the stairs. I almost screamed again but I didn't have the breath to as its jaws came down to try and bite me again. I ducked under its jaws and through the gap in the boney legs.

I gasped and fell to a stop as the stairs abruptly ended. I climbed back up wheezing for air but there was nowhere to go. The jabberwocky roared, and rose above me and it raised its jaws open as if gagging how my head would fit in its jaws. It ducked its heads again but I dived out of the way as many times as I could and its legs shifted, making it have to take a moment for it to rebalance.

I took this moment to jump on its long coarse, leathery neck. I grasped some of the old leather skin in my hand as it bucked under the sudden weight. It climbed the entire tower and I screamed and groaned as it bucked its head up and down to try and kill me. Suddenly, when I thought it was ready I let go and it swung me high up in the air. I moved Stern up and pointed the blade down.

"Off with your head!" I screamed giggling on the way down. As I slammed down to the top of the tower, by miracle winds, my blade moved without stopping straight through the neck of the jabberwocky. I grasped the ground as I watched the body slide off of the tower and slowly the head rolled down the tower's stairs. I raised myself up into a standing formation and wiped the sweat away from my forehead. Clouds I hadn't even known were in the sky parted as the jabberwockies head rolled to a stop.

At almost the same time as the head stopped so did the battle. I was still wheezing but it didn't help with the regaining my breath. I started down the stairs, slower this time but not too slow. I made it almost all the way down and leant against the side of the wall with one hand on the wall and the other on my knee.

"K-Kill her!" My own daughter screamed. I snorted as none of her little armory even took a step near my direction. Actually I think some of them took multiple steps back as I stumbled down the stairs.

"We follow you no more, Bloody Big Head." One of the cards said, with a 7 on his shoulders. He threw down his spear and I sat down on the stairs in attempt to regain my breath.

"How dare you? Off with his head!" She screamed and pointed at him but all of the armored cards began to through down their spears in shock. I saw Tarrant move out of the crowds and I leaped to my feet to run to him. I moved his clothes around trying to see if he had been hurt anywhere.

"I'm fine." He lisped to me and I smiled at his wide grin at my concern. He kissed me, and there was not a bit of passion hidden behind it. The passion was all in our mouths, tongue, and teeth. But we had to break it off as many people gasped at us. I laughed loudly before growing sober. I moved away from Tarrant so that I could point at the crown on Iracebeth's head and move it to Mirana's head, making sure to turn it to match her white theme.

As it touched her hair the hair blew back and her eyes closed in pleasure. She turned to smile at me and then to Iracebeth with no longer a sad expression but with a cold, distrusting gaze.

"Iracebeth of Crims, your crimes against Underland are worthy of death." She told her before raising her hands again just as before. "However," She rephrased and I walked to stand by her to show my support of her vow. "that is against my vows," She was delicate about it and I felt Tarrant stand right behind me in support as well. "Therefore, you are banished to the Outlands." She sentenced fiercely. "No one is to show you any kindness, or ever speak a word to you. You will not have a friend in the world." She whispered the last part.

I saw Iracebeth close her eyes, hiding her emotions from us. Then, the nasty, disgusting pig that ruined my rescue of the man I loved. "Majesty," He bowed to her. "I hope you bear me no ill will." He said. I burned with anger. Mirana turned to me again and bowed to me, showing that she still understood that I was the high-queen.

"You, Illosovic Stayne, are a cruel, slippery, disgusting, nasty, vile, greasy, revolting, dreadful, worthless,-" I started, practically feeling my eyes cross.

"Mom!" Mirana whispered, but Tarrant also said, "Aluna…" He muttered to me. I winced once before continuing.

"You, are to join Iracebeth in banishment from this day until the end of Underland." I sentenced and as I spoke the red cards slapped a pair of handcuffs onto their wrists. The Red Queen seemed to have a small amount of hope on her face when she looked up into the eyes of the knave.

"At least we have each other." She said sweetly, obviously in love with him. However Stayne didn't look so happy. The large man looked as if we'd told him we were going to kill him instead. He paniced, and pulled a knife from a hidden sheath on his waist to stab at my daughter. I moved to help her but the Hatter had seen it coming and he threw-…a needle? At the greasy hand holding the Knaves knife and he let out a roar as it dropped. I turned to let out a breath at the hatter who took this as encouragement and placed his arm around me, cautious at first, of it.

"Your majesties! Please! Just kill me! Please!" He begged to both the white and high queen's. Mirana's gaze had turned even colder if it was possible and I touched her shoulder briefly to give her comfort. I knew she loved her sister even though they fought constantly. I let my hand drop away as the red cards pulled him into submission.

"But I don't owe you any kindness." I told him sweetly. Of course, it was mostly because I didn't want Iracebeth alone as much as I was mad with her.

"Take of my head!" The Knave begged as the red cards started to drag them both off to the Otherlands, a dreadful lonely place.

"He tried to kill me." The Red Queen said her eyes wide with despair and disbelief.

"Majesty! Please, please!" He continued to beg.

"He tried to kill me." Iracebeth stated again as if she was in shock and couldn't believe it at all. I felt Tarrant move away but I was concentrating on the chaotic couple being dragged from us. I sighed but then I heard Tarrant's voice and I turned to see him standing just in the free space near the ruins that I had painstakingly climbed both up and down.

"Oh, the Frabjous Day! Callou! Callay!" Tarrant shouted his clothes bright and lively and his face and hair matching. I watched at the front of the group, right next to my daughter as Tarrant took his hat off and music began to play from somewhere as Tarrant began futterwacken, vigorously. I laughed along with the others as Tarrant's body began to swivel and turn in all kinds of wild and unbelievable directions. I laughed and clapped as his arms turned and his legs as he bent. I glanced beside me where Chess appeared bobbing his whole body with the beat of the music.

I laughed as he did amazing flips to me and then I was surprised when his hand was offered to me. I heard the voices of everyone cheering me on and I rolled my eyes while laughing again. I took his offered hand and Tarrant pulled me out with him to dance with him. It was easy for me to Futterwacken and it was much simpler then the dances of humans so I let my body run away with me and Tarrant as we turned around each other, sometimes even switching body parts, which seemed impossible and it was. When we both stopped Tarrant was bowing with his hat off but we were pressed together and holding them up in the air while we stared straight at each other.

I breathed in, finally. It seemed that it took a lot out of me to futterwacken. I giggled when the Hatter leaned in and took my lips with his. I squealed into his mouth as he lifted me up off the ground. I clutched onto the top hat in my hand but used my other hand to tangle it in the fiery red hair.

"Long live the High-Queen Destiny!" I heard Mirana cheer and the others followed in her cheer. I broke from the sweet lips so that I could smile at my friends, my family, and even my love.

I loved these crazy, mad people.


End file.
